The North (Closed)

[heartofcourage]

"I don't know." Delphine answered truthfully and honestly as the young wolf asked her what she would do after she met with Finnegan. "I can tell you what you want about Brennan Royer and his court, the way that it works and the lords that make up his inner circle, but I'm not a fool to think that it will save Ramsey. He's...not my husband. I have no claim to him."

There was raw grief and sorrow in her features as she had to admit that. Her carefree prince, the one that was rough around the edges and defended her against the slings and arrows of his father's men, had gone. She had been woken many nights by his pacing and mutterings, his mind slowly slipping as he broke under the pressure of his father's rule. He'd started to turn cruel, his hands a little too rough on her arms or a slap to the face when she asked the wrong question. Still, she blamed Brennan for everything.

"What was done to Fiona Blackstone was cruel and unacceptable. I had no idea what he had truly done until I saw her for myself in the courtyard. I told him he was no better than his father or Lord Orkney, but his hatred for Were and dragons runs deep. It was no better than what they had done to my mother."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Your help is appreciated," Brogan said gently. "My mother has empowered me to take in refugees and make judgments on her behalf in situations like this. I can offer you safety and help settling into a new life. We offered the same to Finn for his help, and many before him. You'll find, Miss Tremblay, that the North is not the cruel war machine tearing apart the isles for sport that Clan Royer seems to want to believe. We'll take care of you."

Supporting his son's decision and station, Kell nodded. "You will be under the Queen's protection with the Prince's blessing, then. I see no reason to confine you too much. You are welcome to walk around the interior of the camp with an escort, but I ask you avoid going near the edges or near any training areas. And I think it fair to warn you that we have dragons in the east and south ends, and occasionally Lord Schaller and Lady Dzana and a few others walk through the center thoroughfare. Just so you're not caught off-guard. And if you need any help, look for those in black uniforms like us."

Standing from his seat, Kell turned toward the tent entrance. "Excuse me, Her Majesty is expecting me shortly."

Brogan gave his father a nod, watching the older Wolf disappear out of the tent. Taking a deep breath, Brogan's shoulders relaxed a little and he offered a small, friendly smile to Delphine. "It's pretty tiring being so formal, huh?" It was a little insight into his real personality. "Before anything else, I know you probably haven't eaten in a long while. Can I get you anything or walk you to the camp kitchen?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Delphine lowered her head as Kell left and she was left with the young prince. He dropped his formal facade and sought to help her relax, but that did little to calm her frazzled nerves. "If...if the Lady Jane is in camp...it's best if I stay here."

There was no bad blood between the two women, but Delphine was weary of the Orkney family and always had been. The wedding of Ramsey and Jane had been another trial by fire for her, many men watching her reactions from the crowd and waiting for any moment to pounce. She hadn't given them the satisfaction and she had survived another day.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know I can't understand the gravity of your situation, but I can respect that," Brogan assured her. "But my offer stands if you're hungry. I can fetch you anything you need, and the courier should be back soon with some necessities for you too." In her time, Delphine had never encountered someone of royal blood so ready to serve someone else, even something as simple as making a plate for her.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Anything you bring would be fine." She said, looking up at him as he offered again to bring her something to eat even though she wasn't sure that her stomach could handle it. "Would you...could you take something to Ramsey for me? Milk with honey. Heated. He'll know where it came from."

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan paused for a moment at her request, knowing she was one of the only people left in all of the north who still held any tenderness for Ramsey Royer. "... I think I can manage that, for your sake." Rising from his seat, Brogan looked her over once more. "I'm sorry for the position you're in, Miss Tremblay. I hope you can find a little peace." Stepping away, Brogan left the tent to find Shani awaiting him. Now that he was a little more involved in political matters and his parents were slowly involving him in their work, Kell and Qira had agreed it was time to start Shani into her own role as well. Now that Brogan had publicly claimed his place as Prince, her position as his bodyguard and future Lady Protector was incredibly important.

Letting out a sigh, Brogan began heading for the camp kitchen with Shani beside him. "Anything new?" He asked her. "And did Sam survive contact with Fiona?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"According to him, she threatened him with her new axe. He's sleeping with Soma this evening." Shani reported as she fell into step with Brogan. "So, nothing new. I'm sure they'll be made up by tomorrow."

"I have some news for you from Windsor." Shani murmured, keeping her voice low as to not draw too much attention. "Ashleigh was found collapsed in the castle and there was a fear that she had run afoul of an assassin. We didn't want to put it past Royer with everything else going on. Turns out she's with child. She's been moved to Darkwood to be cared for by Dylandra."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm not sure whether to be excited for her and Edward, or worried that it's starting off rough," Brogan murmured. "I imagine all the new stress isn't helping... it's a tough time for that kind of news, even if it's welcome. They already have too much on their plates." Brogan glanced up as Avfairn soared over the camp on patrol, his easy pace showing all was well. "Anything about Hesperus? I think everyone's worried he'll get here before Sam's finished with his work."

 

[heartofcourage]

"He is still entrenched outside of Chester. We have men watching him. Kell was able to secure Julia's family and get them to safety, but it seems that the dragon has no interest in anything besides eating all he can and resting. I sure he's doing just as Fiona is doing and preparing." Shani answered, pausing as they came to the mess tent. "Do you need help?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"I think I'm at least competent enough to warm up milk and honey," Brogan chuckled. Since she'd recovered from the battle at London and gotten back to normal, he'd finally begun to loosen up again. But he'd also been building up the strong, calm persona he'd need in court when Kate returned to her throne, and Shani had seen him unexpectedly come into his own when trusted with matters of speaking on his mother's behalf. It seemed when Brogan was standing in for her, he gave it his all and his successes were beginning to build his self-confidence. But also having Shani regularly beside him again was helping him avoid getting too serious.

As Brogan put a pot on a grate above one of the cooks' fires with the milk and honey, he took a seat and welcomed Shani to join him. "I'm worried as anyone else about Hesperus... but I also feel good about our chances. Sam's family will have the tools they need, and Hesperus hasn't faced cannons and modern siege weapons. If he thinks we'll be an easy win for him, he's got a bloody, painful lesson coming his way."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm glad you have blind enthusiasm but I'm not sure that it's going to end as well as you think it might. Everything comes down to Fiona and how prepared she is." Shani said diplomatically as she took a seat next to Brogan. "We've been watching her training. It's going well and the Ghis brothers are putting her through hell, but it's a lot to expect one person to prepare for."

 

[KieranSoares]

"It's blind optimism or blind panic. I'm gonna stick to the former for everyone's sake," Brogan murmured, admitting he really wasn't so confident. But now that he was expected to be a leader, he refused to let on his fears in public anymore. "Besides, I don't think many people stand a chance of getting in close enough and staying alive long enough to strike a deathblow on Hesperus. It's gonna take everything we have to hold him at bay and give Fiona her chance."

 

[heartofcourage]

Shani glanced up as the camp cooks started to enter to prepare for the morning meal, a bit surprised to see them there, but leaving them be. "We need an extra meal to take with us, if you would." Shani asked, receiving a nod at her request.

"We will fight alongside her every step of the way. She's not going to go into this blind. If someone can nearly kill him the first time, she can do it the second time." Shani said, turning back to Brogan as he admitted that his bravado might have been purely for show.

 

[KieranSoares]

"God, I hope so," he murmured, but soon squared his shoulders and straightened up, though he held Shani's hand as a security blanket as they awaited the food.

Across camp, Sam awoke from his short nap to get back to work at his forge in the creek, taking Dzana along to give Schaller a break. He knew Fiona still needed to cool down as well, so Sam made himself scarce for the moment. Marth earned a stern talking-to from his mother when she found out about the night mission, but he was proud of their work. At the same time, Jani gathered Riley and Andre when she came in from patrol, starting to assemble Fiona's shield with the nails and scales they'd made.

It was a fairly quiet day, though Soma increased the flying patrols just in case. He knew messengers would come soon to demand Ramsey's return, and the only way Soma would even consider letting the man live was if Brennan Royer surrendered and abdicated the throne for Kate. But no one would get the chance to parley for Ramsey's freedom that night as Sam returned from his forge, changed into dry clothes, and came to the holding tent with Riley at his side. She was the only one who knew Sam had taken time that day to forge two large iron spikes, fully intending for Ramsey to suffer Fiona's fate. His expression was grim as he approached the guards. As Sam escorted Ramsey out of camp, someone saw what they were up to and secretly ran to Fiona's tent.

"Aunt Fiona?" Loren's voice reached her from outside her tent, sounding worried, if not a little scared. "Uncle Sam's doing something with Royer... I didn't like the look on his face." Loren wasn't one to tell on his family members or spy, being an honest and trusting nephew and doing his best working as a military doctor to help Alex and Luna. But seeing Sam look so grim and dangerous had scared him, and there was only one person he knew could handle an angry Samuel Ghis.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona had been resting after another brutal day with Durban, Boar, and Brogan Ghis. Almost asleep when she heard Loren's concerned voice, she was up in an instant and meeting him outside of her tent. The moment that she saw the look in his eyes, she knew that something was seriously wrong.

"Which way did he go, love?" Fiona asked, ducking back into the tent to pull on pieces of her light armor and grab her cross bow before coming back out to face Loren again. When he pointed off deeper into the woods, she gave him a nod and patted his shoulder, taking off at a run to stop Sam from making the biggest mistake of his life.

 

[KieranSoares]

When Fiona finally caught the distant sound of Ramsey begging for mercy, Sam had him pinned to a wide oak tree by the neck, Riley standing back a bit with Sam's satchel, his hammer and the iron spikes inside. Sam's grip on Ramsey's throat was just loose enough to let him breathe, but only barely.

"Please... Please, anything you want, anything your family wants," Ramsey choked out, still trying to bargain with the completely immovable Scot.

"You can't give me what I want, you fucking snake," Sam snarled at him. "I want peace for my wife an' everyone who loves her. I want back twenty years away from home because o' men like you. You can't give me any of that, and you wouldn't even if you could. You only understand the language of blood, murder, an' subjugation. An' clearly you know the language of torture an' suffering very well." Sam took hold of Ramsey's hand with his own free hand. It was the same hand that Fiona had had broken bone by bone by Ramsey's torturers. "So let me tell you somethin' in a way you understand, boy."

A sickening crack sounded through the trees as Sam easily broke Ramsey's thumb at an awkward angle, earning a strangled yelp from the younger man and a string of curses. When he seemed about to pass out, Sam suddenly forced his entire weight into Ramsey's arm against the tree, another loud crack signaling that something else in his already-broken shoulder had snapped. He finally let go, letting Ramsey slide down the tree into a shuddering, whimpering heap. That was the scene Fiona came upon as Sam turned to Riley, pulling out his dragonsteel hammer.

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley had never seen her father like this before and she hadn't expected this level of brutality when he had called her to follow that evening. She stayed out of loyalty, but when he pulled his hammer out, she knew that things were about to go from bad to worse.

"Da..." She murmured, meeting his dark gaze as Ramsey whimpered like an injured pup before them.

"Samuel." Fiona called through the trees, her crossbow armed and at the ready, both of them looking her direction. "Put it down."

Riley shifted uncomfortably between them, looking at her mother and then at her father. "Ma, you need to go."

"No, you need to go, Riley. This isn't your battle to wage." Fiona muttered. "It was wrong of either of us to pull you into this."

Riley looked up at her Da and slowly lowered the satchel to the ground, knowing that she had to do what Fiona asked in that moment. She didn't think less of Sam at all and that showed in her gaze as she turned to leave his side, passing by Fiona as she stood unwavering with a weapon trained on the love of her life.

"If you do this, Sam, you will be haunted for the rest of your days." Fiona said softly. "You aren't this man."

 

[KieranSoares]

Hearing Fiona's voice pulled Sam from his bloodthirsty rage for a moment, and when he turned to see a crossbow aimed at him, he halted. Never had his wife brandished a weapon at him outside practice, and she'd certainly never aimed a crossbow at anyone she wasn't ready to kill.

When Riley was out of sight, Sam murmured, "... Are you scared I'll go off an' hurt you too, love?" He couldn't fathom another reason why Fiona would draw a weapon on him.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I've never been scared of you a day in my life." Fiona said as Sam turned to face her. "But I will do whatever I can to make sure that you don't make this mistake. Put your hammer down."

She didn't waver, still holding her crossbow steady on him as Ramsey started to weep. "Samuel. He will have to answer for what he did and he will have to live with that for the rest of his days, no matter how many he has left. You are not going to be the one to deliver that judgement."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Seems to me like he should know the pain he's caused," Sam growled, looking back toward Ramsey as the younger man wept but tried to keep quiet so not to earn more abuse. "He should have every bone in his hand broken. Hot irons. Nails. Needles... He should be crucified."

Sam's green gaze turned back to Fiona, and she could see a deep pain in his eyes. "And maybe, for once in my life, I need some justice for myself as much as for someone else. Maybe I've taken all I can, standing by as the bigger man an' not reacting in anger when my wife's tortured, my daughter's raped, or my son loses his fucking arm. I held myself back every time, even with Conrad. Tha' boy left with just bruises when I wanted t'bloody castrate him an' break every bone in his body. I've held myself back from takin' revenge on dozens o' people. Maybe, just once, I want blood tha' I'm owed."

Sam had never showed any sign of being vengeful or bloodthirsty like this before. The worst Fiona had seen was the beating he gave Conrad von Morden, but as he'd said, it was only bruises. Between the pressure of Hesperus's looming shadow, Fiona's torture, Riley's rape, Soma losing his arm, and many other abuses and losses in their family, Sam was at his breaking point and even if his gaze was murderous, there was a deep grief there too.

His grip on the hammer tightened, but he didn't make a move. "You'd want the same if this happened t'me, Fiona. You can't tell me you don't want t'just lash out at the world an' destroy something. Our family has shouldered an entire alliance for years now, always measured an' merciful an' too fucking gentle. When is it our turn to be vicious to those who deserve it? When is it my turn t'do to them what they've done to us? To you?" Even as he demanded blood, Fiona could see tears start to form out of frustration, and perhaps even fear of his own anger. It had been a long, long time since she'd seen this depth of anger in him, as if the young Samuel who was in danger of becoming like Tamblin the Mad was beginning to rear his head again.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I did...once." Fiona said as she kept her crossbow raised. "Do you not remember how I wanted to burn Vienna to the ground, and it was your father and uncles and aunts that stopped me? I was angry that they did back then, but I know now why it had to be that way. I could have ended all of this back then, but I truly would have been the villain and no better than any of them."

She slowly lowered the weapon and gave him a slow shrug of her shoulders. "Where does it stop, Sam? If you do this now, where does it stop? With your head on a pike? With Brennan Royer burned at the stake? With our children fighting a bloody war after we're beheaded for harming Ramsey Royer? The reason we have remained the bigger person in all of this is because we have the power to end it."

 

[KieranSoares]

"It never fucking stops, because of people like him," Sam growled, lowering his head, his knuckles white on his hammer's handle. "There'll always be another Frederick Barbarossa... Another Micha von Morden... Another monster t'hurt my wife."

Turning to look back at Ramsey, Sam's jaw tightened. The young man was desperately trying to stay quiet, his whimpers of pain difficult to stifle. When he saw Sam's eyes on him, he froze again and sunk down against the tree roots to make himself as small as possible. Sam's fingers tightened further on his hammer, and then finally relaxed and the heavy implement thudded to the ground beside him. Ramsey dissolved into tears of relief, knowing Fiona had at least temporarily tamed the raging Scot.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona slowly approached her husband, the hurt radiating off him in waves. She understood his want to hurt Ramsey Royer but she knew that it wouldn't solve that pain that was deep inside of him. Placing her crossbow on the ground, she quietly wrapped her arm around his waist and hugged him tightly, burying her face against his chest.

"And there is only one man that I love beyond reason." Fiona murmured in Erygonian. "The man who has supported me in my darkest hours and pulled me through when I needed it the most. I thank him for wanting to make my hurt worthwhile, but this isn't the way. Crushing a bug like Ramsey Royer won't make you feel better."

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam leaned into her, an arm draping around her as his head laid against hers. "I know it won't..." He murmured in Erygonian in return. "But Gods, it'd feel better for just a moment..."

Sam slowly pulled away, sighing. "I'll put this rat back in 'is cage... Then we'll sit down a while an' talk."

Ramsey yelped when Sam stalked over and grabbed him roughly, hoisting him over one shoulder. The younger man tried in vain to keep quiet, but having his broken shoulder disturbed was too much. Sam turned back, pausing only to scoop up his hammer and his bag. Looking to Fiona, he welcomed her to follow.

Back in camp, Kell was there waiting when Sam dumped Ramsey at the guards' feet. The man had passed out from pain and was dragged back into the holding tent. Kell watched him go and looked to Sam with deep concern. "Sam..."

"Would've been worse, given five more minutes," Sam growled, reaching into his bag to hand over the two iron spikes. "You put these where he can see them. If he causes trouble or hurts anyone else, I'm following through."

Silently disturbed by Sam's threat, Kell took the spikes and glanced at Fiona. Even if Ramsey deserved the worst, Kell's expression told Fiona he was silently thankful for her intervention.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona said nothing as Kell gave her a silent thanks for talking Sam down from his rage. She knew the danger wasn't over with, simply dulled for the moment. She also saw Loren standing by nervously, almost as if afraid that if he were outed, he might face his uncle's wrath. Fiona came to his side and gently touched his cheek, letting him know that he had done the right thing.

"Your Ma would be proud of you, love." She said softly, turning to look at Sam as he came towards her and she took his arm once more. "Take a look at him for us. He'll need some medical care for that arm and hand."

With that, Fiona let Sam guide her towards their tent to talk. Things had started to quiet down when a small entourage of men arrived from the front. They made their way towards Delphine's tent, where the woman was nervously waiting. She hadn't been able to sleep and had barely eaten, but when someone entered, she popped up from her seat and turned startled eyes towards the man.

"Finnegan." She murmured, hurrying to wrap her arms around him tightly.