The North (Closed)

[KieranSoares]

"He wanted to be of use. From the moment he could speak, he was asking to help with anything and everything," Schaller reminded. "I'll never forget when he was four years old that he asked if he could help me fly, before he knew any better." A smile came to the dragon's face at that. "He wanted to understand how everything worked, and to help his mother most of all with that knowledge."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I think I should be worried that Soma might one day steal my partner." Fiona said, giving Schaller a side long look as the elder dragon waxed poetic about her son. "If Sam retires to the forge, what does that mean for us, old man?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"Nothing will change for us," Schaller promised without missing a beat. "Soma is just fine with Idunn and I imagine he'd work well with a number of others. But you are my partner til one of us is gone." He gave her a very serious stare at that, as if he thought her suggestion was absolute nonsense.

"Alright, you two," Sam chuckled. "We all know he can't manage without you, love."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Hmmmm…I never know with him. He’s run off and found a new love and a fledgling.” Fiona teased as she gave Schaller a sidelong stare. “He’ll move to the highlands and I’ll be stuck in the keep bored out of my skull.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I will always come when you call, my love." Schaller leaned in and gave her a light nuzzle before turning to lumber away across the open field before the manor. Sam reached out to take Fiona's hand, pressing a kiss to it.

"He loves you more than I think he even realizes," Sam chuckled with a smile.

 

[heartofcourage]

"More than you?" Fiona asked with a raised eyebrow as she laced her fingers with her husband's, taking a step closer to him.

She couldn't help but run her fingers over his wedding band. It still surprised her that he wore one. As stoic as her husband was and as private as he was about his family life, he never took it off. They had fought viciously, chased one another to the ends of the earth, nearly died countless times, and that band had remained.

 

[KieranSoares]

"His kinda love isn't one I need t'compete with. But if y'want me t'fight a dragon fer your affections, I jus' might." He drew Fiona even closer, his free hand resting on her waist as he pressed a kiss to her lips. He let his forehead rest against hers, content to close his eyes and enjoy a quiet moment. "I love you," he murmured, both of his arms wrapping around her middle and his head resting on her shoulder.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona grinned as he spoke about slaying a dragon for her. Then he was kissing her to show that commitment before she was wrapped up in his tight embrace and his head was resting on her shoulder. Then he said the words that she wanted to hear. Never had three words soothed her as much as those three coming from his lips, even in her darkest of moments.

"I promised you Inverness and I'm not going to break that promise." Fiona whispered to her husband.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I believe you," he admitted softly. It had taken two decades and many battles for him to finally believe they might go home. But now between Fiona's work, their allies' strength and loyalty, and Soma's tactical genius, he could finally hope to see home.


The next morning dawned bright and clear, an odd sight considering it was spring in England. Those camped around the manor were going about their morning preparations when around a score of horsemen came galloping toward the manor from the direction of London. A heavily-armored figure rode at the front beside a young nobleman in a fine uniform. The armored figure also carried a white banner, signaling the group's intent to speak rather than fight.

Reaching the half-ruined gates of Darkwood, the group halted save for the nobleman and his bodyguard, who trotted in followed by Northern Axemen watching their every move. One hurried ahead into the manor to find the majority of Sam and Fiona's inner circle gathered for breakfast in the dining hall with Burke and Ashleigh. "King Ghis," the Axeman called as he jogged into the dining room, making Sam look up with a bit of confusion as he still wasn't used to the return of the title. "Sir, Hess 'as sent some sort o' diplomat 'r lordling. They're askin' t'speak with th'people in charge."

"Well," Sam murmured as he stood. "This is Darkwood, which means Ashien's family is in charge. Not t'mention we have th' rightful Queen here." He looked to Burke and Ashleigh. "I think you ought t'be involved when it concerns yer throne, Ashleigh. An' Burke, as rightful lord o' the manor, you ought t'be there t' defend your claim." He then glanced toward Soma, who immediately stood from his seat and adjusted his uniform with a nod. "Soma an' I will accompany you. Kell, you too, if you're not too exhausted?"

Kell, who'd spent the entire night awake shouldering both his and Qira's work, rose immediately as well. "Of course. Bo can hold things down with my senior officers."

"Love?" Sam asked quietly, looking to Fiona. Whenever he was involved with talks or deals, he always left an invitation open for her knowing that she had far more experience.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona continued eating as the others sprang into action, quietly keeping to herself until Sam turned to look at her and quietly offered her an invitation to join them. While she and Soma were the ones most fluent in German and the ways of the court, she knew that she was in a very precarious position. Being there in front of the Germans might very well insight another war, even if they had the upper hand. She was still hated and she didn't want to do anything to keep them from reaching their final destination.

"I think it's probably best if I stay behind this time, love." Fiona said, giving him a soft smile. "You don't need me for boring negotiations."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I always need you," Sam murmured with a smile of his own, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "We'll see how Soma and I get along. We'll whistle if we need savin'."

Standing up straight, Sam joined Soma and Kell to head out to meet the diplomat. Many of the Northerners set to arming themselves just in case, and a small group of Axemen accompanied the three men to their meeting. Meanwhile, Fiona's senior Riders came to join her. Costa and Danica settled on her right while Jani and Ezra were on her left. Jani was in full gear after a nighttime patrol, while the others were only partly armored.

"Got some more messages coming in from towns across England and Wales," Jani told Fiona, showing her a collection of letters answering Soma and Sam's call. A majority of towns had agreed to let Northerners go by peacefully and join the alliance, and a handful of lords loyal to the North had volunteered their forces to aid in retaking the isles. Their influence had spread across the southern half of England at this point, and northern English counties were starting to prepare to fight one side or the other.

"A few you may be interested in..." Ezra murmured, taking the letters to sort through. "Letters from Chester, Skye, and Wick came in. The Wick letter was handed off to Kate, but these other two are clearly meant for you and Sam." He picked out the two and laid them before her.

Descended from Katherine of Skye's brother Matthew, the current lord of Skye was Luther McTavish. As Matthew's great-grandson, he was the youngest on the Council of Mull that managed the western Scottish isles. His letter was formal and written in fine flowing script, but it also carried an air of excitement and determination. Having had only rare contact with the Ghis side of the family, he took the time to introduce himself properly and his lineage, and then quickly launched into his willingness to join forces with the North. He was already working on swaying the Council of Mull to join forces with Ireland, and he volunteered a number of ships to help transport soldiers as needed. His letter ended with an enthusiastic welcome to the Ghis family back to the isles, and a wish that he would meet them in person soon.

The letter from Chester was less formal thanks to Maxwell's familiarity with the North. In the fall of the isles, he'd held out as long as possible before being given an ultimatum: swear fealty to the Empire, or be executed on the spot. For the sake of his family and especially raising his son to take his place one day, he'd surrendered. And then when the Empire lost control of the isles, he quietly accepted Hess's rule but began secretly preparing for the day he'd be overthrown. Now that the North was returning, Maxwell was ready to launch a full assault on his neighbors that were loyal to Hess, but he was awaiting the North's order. He explained that he'd been training levies for months in preparation, and practically every able-bodied man in his county was ready to fight. As a personal aside, he also added that he wanted to see Julia as soon as the North reached Chester. His son Julian, now in his early thirties, was raring to meet his extended family again as well, and ready to fight like hell for them despite twenty years of separation.

While Fiona had a moment to look over the letters, Costa looked to Jani. "After London falls, it sounds like Soma's going to aim everyone toward Chester, and use that as a launching point to overtake Hadrian's wall and close England off from Scotland entirely. I only hope that the western isles and Wick will be safe enough from Royer til we can open routes to them."

 

[heartofcourage]

"It's just a matter of how quickly it will fall. I don't think Hess will be as quick about it as everyone thinks." Fiona said as she called for parchment and ink, intending to write back to the letters that she had received while she had a moment. "It pays to have family in far flung regions."

She wrote multiple notes as soon as she was brought a stack of parchment and some ink and quills. They were ready to go back with the morning dispatches, to Chester and Skye and one to Julia waiting for word in Trondheim. As she folded each and used her own personal seal, she glanced up as Jani and Costa spoke of plans to push towards Scotland.

"I don't want any Riders thinking that our fight here will be over if Hess bows down. We don't know what the far north will bring. I have a bad feeling that there are those that would just as soon kill us and our dragons even if they swear loyalty to the North." Fiona murmured. "Let's not forget that slavery is still legal here for the time being. There are those like me still in chains not far from here."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know all too well," Jani assured her. "We aren't planning ahead for peacetime, trust me. We're waiting for Royer's response to the invasion. Hess doesn't have much to stop us, but we've been hearing a lot of rumors and reports that Royer's got Riders, anti-dragon weapons, cannons, and more. I think the closer we get to Scotland, the more nervous some of our Riders are getting."

"We're as ready as we can be for when that fight starts up," Ezra assured Fiona. "And we're ready for the march on London too."

"It's just tough to quell nerves among the younger Riders," Danica sighed. "Then again, no amount of experience can prepare a person to face weapons like those and potentially lose their partner." She knew all too well after her loss of Amnistadt twenty years previous.

 

[heartofcourage]

"We can line them out and talk to them, but I don't know what good talking does with a group like this." Fiona said as she picked up her mug of tea and thought about the moment. "Riders aren't usually a group that does well with "talking". We want to do."

 

[KieranSoares]

"That's why we're leaving them be but keeping ourselves open," Ezra confirmed. "We can't take away their fears, but we can continue to support them and be ready if they need to talk. I only hope they'll take that opportunity instead of waiting til we enter Scotland."

"In the meantime, I've been patrolling around Southall and the surrounding towns outside London," Jani began, leaning on the table before her. "I've been noticing some pretty bad conditions, and it looks like the locals have been defacing statues and public spaces in protest against Hess. I even saw a few areas building up defenses to keep Hess's soldiers from passing through. I think it might be to our advantage to reach out and help them organize, especially those who have put up the old English banners in support of Edward and Ashleigh."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I know it was a danger to bring Ashleigh here, but this fight was one that she needed to be here for. Edward is mounting his mother and grandfather's return in Calais and should be on English soil in hours." Fiona explained to the rest of the group. "An escort across would be nice, but Edward's letters sounded confident. I have already explained that the Riders are at his disposal."

She glanced over at Ezra and Dani, tapping her wedding band against the mug for a moment as she pondered. "While we are here on English soil, I know that Kell is providing Ashleigh all the protection she needs. If she needs our protection, I'm putting the both of you on that. I need to know that the future rulers of this country will be safe."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Consider it done," Ezra assured her confidently. "I'll let Ashleigh know as well, so that she knows we're available to her as needed."

"I think I may go to meet Edward's retinue and escort them," Danica offered. "They don't have any Riders right now, so I think an overwatch would be useful especially in the hills where they could be ambushed. Then when he arrives and we take London, we can look at assigning some Riders to the royal guard til they train their own."

"No doubt they'll ask you and Costa to train or pick out some people," Jani added, knowing they were two of the finest trainers among the Riders and Danica in particular had originally trained Sam. "And I've been keeping tabs on some promising kids that might fit the bill."

Conversation soon turned toward the looming invasion of London and how they were preparing. Ezra, leaning on the table with a mug before him and his hands clasped, turned to Fiona. "From what I've been hearing from Soma's aides and our scouts, I'm a little worried about taking the palace. The city itself shouldn't be difficult considering the support we have... but I worry for those assaulting the palace and what traps might be waiting there. Hess is much more clever than I think anyone's giving him credit for. I'm especially worried about him targeting a major officer and doing to them what von Morden did to you."

 

[heartofcourage]

"They think that Qira was taken down by a powder. That means that they want to take someone alive." Fiona murmured, looking between each of them. "If they can't kill us, they'll make an example of us. Be alert and don't let anyone be taken when we are this close."

"The last thing I want to be paraded through the streets like a trophy." Fiona muttered as her plates were cleared and breakfast slowly drew to a close. "And I don't want to see any of my officers fall into that fate either."

She stood then, glancing over at Jani as the others remained seated. "I think it might be time to show these negotiators what they're up against if you are up for it. Like old times."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Hell yeah," Jani instantly jumped to her feet with a wild grin. Even in her mid-forties and after nighttime patrols, she still seemed to have more energy than any greenhorn. And she was always the first at Fiona's side when there was a possible scrap to be had.

"I'm sure Avi will love the overtime," Ezra commented with a little chuckle.

"We're Icelanders," Jani scoffed, "we used go entire summers with hardly any sleep, just to enjoy the midnight sun. We can handle a few extra hours awake." With that, she set off at a jog to get her saddle back out and call her partner.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Let her have her fun.” Fiona said to Dani and Ezra, giving them a small smile. “We know war is hell.”

She gave them each a nod and left the great hall to gather up Schaller. She was cinching up his saddle as he looked at her with a quizzical look on his face. She simply gave him a grin and laughed, shaking her head as she buckled the final piece before she turned to face him.

"I promise Jani the chance to terrorize the Germans for a bit of fun." Fiona said with a shrug of her shoulders.

 

[KieranSoares]

"God have mercy on their souls," Schaller snorted with a tiny hint of a grin. "So am I helping, or just making sure she doesn't get herself killed?"

Leaning down, he let Fiona take hold of his horn to be lifted into the saddle. He turned to look as, not far away, Avfairn rocketed into the sky with his partner. Even if Avi was more levelheaded than Jani, he still fed off her passion for life, war, and adventure. "Well, if they still have the energy for it... why not." Schaller turned and set into a jog, unfolding his wings and speeding up til he shot into the sky to follow the Icelanders.

 

[heartofcourage]

“When was the last time we were able to have some fun?” Fiona asked as Schaller stretched his wings and took off into the sky after them, Fiona holding on as she felt the telltale soft chuckle emanate from his chest.

The negotiations were as boring as always, taking place at a neutral plot of land not far from Darkwood. Riley had tagged along with Andre, not content to let her father and little brother stay with the enemy even if her uncle were there for protection. Riley was armed, watching over everything was as much suspicion as everyone. She didn't trust anyone that spoke a lick of German, especially anyone that she didn't know well.

 

[KieranSoares]

Andre and Riley were perched in their saddles atop a hill overlooking the negotiations. Andre leaned on the saddle horn casually, but his gaze was sharp as he surveyed their enemies. Glancing over at Riley, he spoke up, "Everything looks fairly calm. Area's been secured... but I can't help feeling like we're not seeing something. Maybe I'm paranoid."

"Paranoia is better than complacency," Gia muttered, scanning around them for threats.

 

[heartofcourage]

“I don’t trust any of them, even if they come under a white flag.” Riley muttered, her eyes sharp even if Andre seemed relaxed. “They would just as soon slaughter us all and be done with this mess.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Glancing up, Andre watched Avfairn and Schaller glide overhead, circling and watching over the proceedings. A fair number of Hess's men couldn't take their eyes off Schaller in particular, afraid that he would swoop in at any moment. "Looks like your Ma's taking the intimidation route to make sure things stay peaceful..."

In the midst of the discussions, Sam and Soma were seated at a small camp table across from Hess's ambassador, listening to the man offer up terms of a ceasefire. They let him lay out a treaty that would allow the North to keep all the land and towns they'd already swayed or conquered, but would keep them from taking London or pushing further toward Hadrian's Wall.

Being rightful queen, Sam had brought Ashleigh along as well, and she sat between him and Soma with Kell close at their back. Even though she was front and center with their enemies, she had the most powerful and most cunning defenders on all sides. As the ambassador finished reading off the prepared ceasefire treaty, he laid the parchment out in front of them. "The King has also agreed to return any surviving art, personal items, documents, and artifacts previously owned by House Beauclerc, if Edward Beauclerc agrees to renounce his claim on the throne for good. He is also willing to help negotiate a treaty with King Royer on the North's behalf in order to end this conflict."

"And under what authority does Hess offer these terms?" Soma spoke up confidently. "He was not appointed King by any higher entity, bloodline, or will of the people. He usurped a throne that was previously seized and stolen by the Holy Roman Empire. According to the Vatican and England's neighbors, Edward Beauclerc is the rightful king."

"Respectfully, young man, your argument about 'rightful' kings has no merit," the ambassador countered. "England was conquered by a Norman in 1066. Before that, it was fractured and constantly fought over by tiny clan kingdoms and warlords. The right to the throne is not based on blood, but whomever has the strength and cunning to hold it."

"Then perhaps we need t'take your advice an' prove Edward's stronger an' smarter by merit o' his allies an' family. Hess has, what? A few greedy lords an' another king who uses him as a shield? Edward has the entirety of Scandinavia, Normandy, and the Holy Roman Emperor on his side."

The ambassador tried his best to hide growing nervousness, fixing Ashleigh with an intense gaze. "And what about you, Lady Beauclerc? As your husband's representative here, I should hope you have more restraint than your kin. Continuing to fight will only cause more undue stress and suffering to the English people, and it will all be for naught if you incur the wrath of King Royer, whom I assure you has the resources to inflict immense damage on your allies and hold Hadrian's Wall. You know nothing of what you're toying with north of the border."