The North (Closed)

[heartofcourage]

Fiona slowly stood from Schaller's warmth and made her way towards Dzana to help her get Sam into a more comfortable position. Gently, she cleaned the blood from his face and beard, soothing him softly with words that he probably couldn't hear.

"He'll need rest, good rest." Fiona said softly as she glanced up at Dzana, encouraging her to fold Sam close to her chest. "I trust that you can help him with that. Or at least restrain him so that he doesn't do anything foolish until he has his wits about him?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"I will need plenty myself," Dzana murmured, drawing Sam against her chest with one hand while the other lifted to her face, gingerly touching her forehead like she was in pain too. "But now that I have some sway over his mind... It will be much easier to soothe him if he grows restless. I hate to ask more of you in this time... But would both of you keep watch for him mentally until he has a chance to process and I can help him put up some defenses? I don't want anyone- even well-meaning people- to push in before he's ready. He'll already be disoriented enough, and I think the only presences he might not be startled by his first time experiencing it would be mine or both of yours."

"Fiona and I have more experience than most shielding other minds," Schaller assured his former mate. "I'll keep back and stand guard. But I think once he gets his bearing with you, Dzana, Fiona should be the first Caller mind he meets. She will set the best example. And we know how Samuel values learning from masters of their craft."

"Until then," Dzana murmured, curling tightly around her new Caller like he was a fragile newborn. In a sense, he was. Fiona and Schaller would hear her murmur softly to him, "Well done, Samuel..." before she covered her head and him with a wing, settling for a long nap with him surrounded on all sides by warm scales.

Schaller tilted his head down beside Fiona, allowing her the choice to walk or stand on his crest. "You're welcome to curl up with me and get some more rest yourself, my love. I'll keep watch. Or perhaps a walk?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona watched as Dzana curled around Sam and the two dragons negotiated who would be the first to reach out to him when he finally woke. She wanted to be the one to care for him as she always had, but he had another in his life to do that now. She had to accept that Dzana was now another love that would protect him no matter what.

She didn't move until Schaller's voice sounded right next to her, shaking her out of her own thoughts. Looking up at her dragon, she reached up and placed her hand on Schaller's maw. "A walk through the woods sounds lovely right now." She said softly as she grabbed the tip of his horn and pulled herself up to his crest.

 

[KieranSoares]

Schaller turned, lowering his head down so he could weave through the less dense forest east of the camp. He walked slowly, almost lazily along, his head kept low to keep Fiona away from the canopy and branches. After some ten minutes of quiet save the crack of sticks and leaves under his great claws, he murmured softly, "I imagine you must be feeling strange, even conflicted about all of this... I certainly know I am. But between being back in Scotland, preparing for Hesperus, dealing with our recent losses... I'm not sure my mind has any spare energy to really process anything properly."

Sighing deeply, Schaller slowed to a halt and simply laid down, his long neck and head coming to rest in the soft leaf litter and webs of roots around him. His entire body went slack and his eyes half-closed. "I'm exhausted, little Fox... We both are. The end is in sight, but it can't come soon enough..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I haven't let myself feel much." Fiona admitted as Schaller made small talk on his walk through the woods. "It's better that way. When I am back in the keep, after the next snowfall, I'll let myself think about it all. Until then, we have too much to do to let the thoughts win."

When Schaller slowed and laid down, she stepped down and leaned herself against the side of his maw. She knew that he was exhausted and how hard he worked to keep Hesperus out of their minds. He had worked practically night and day to make her armor with Sam. She would never be able to repay him for everything that he had given up in order to bring her to that moment.

"I will never ask anything of you once we are home." She swore to him.

 

[KieranSoares]

"You may ask anything you wish," Schaller murmured. "We share our burdens, victories, and defeats. Your family is my family. We will continue to work together even when this particular fight is done." His great eye, half-lidded as it was, regarded her for a long moment. "I know you've been struggling for a long while now... I knew the Royers would make it worse. But I will see you find rest and peace no matter what. And it's coming soon, whether our enemies like it or not."

His great hand circled around her, allowing her to sit or lay against him if she liked. "Tell me your thoughts about this business with Dzana and Samuel."

 

[heartofcourage]

"It's his choice, my love." Fiona said softly as she relaxed with her dragon. "He found the dragon that completed him. Invah is like our mother, the one that loves us and nurtures us in every way, but Dzana gives him much more. To be a caller is a big step, even for a man like Samuel. He fears becoming a monster, even with all of the help that he has in his life. He sees darkness in himself. He wants to support me more than he wants to face that darkness."

She leaned her head against warm scales and sighed deeply. "I'm no better than him. I run from my darkness."

 

[KieranSoares]

"It's unfair to call it 'running away,'" Schaller murmured, closing his eyes as she leaned heavily against him. "You never shirk anything. You put things you consider more important first. You always put everything ahead of yourself... Which is sometimes heartbreaking for those of us who love you so. Samuel and myself especially. But I think once we are past this, once things can slow down and we can focus on the everyday instead of who wears what crown... It will be time for you and I to face some of these things you've kept at bay so long. I feel them there, eating away at your sanity, my love... We know it isn't safe to take them on now. But I will be there every step of the way when it is. And you will have the aid of those who love you and share your burdens."

 

[heartofcourage]

"If I don't make it back in one piece, I'd like my armor to be placed with Margaret." Fiona confessed to him, knowing that he would make it happen if he had the power. "If my mind is gone...I mean. I can't talk to Sam about things like this right now."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Be assured that no matter what happens in this fight or after," Schaller rumbled soothingly, "I will take care of you and any wishes that you cannot fulfill yourself." She could feel the ache in his heart for her. As a dragon who'd known many wars and toed the line of madness more than once himself, he felt deeply for her. But behind the ache was a sort of bitter comfort. He was sure in his dedication and love. He was there for her to any and every end.

Cradling her in his great hand and nuzzling into her arms, Schaller went quiet. He let his mind communicate his deep love for her, soothing her now that Hesperus was occupied elsewhere and seemed to be giving them all a reprieve so they would be rested and the final battle would be a fair one.


Back in camp, Riley had long since heard of Joachim's death and Andre had gone to say goodbye, alone per his own request. When he returned, he wasn't alone anymore.

After Joachim's body was cleaned up and sent to the nearby town's undertaker with a small host of guards, Tanya had not followed. Instead, she ordered her son brought to her and gathered Joachim's bodyguards who were now her own. While they would keep at a distance for her privacy, they would attend the young prince whenever he wasn't in Tanya's care, and some were assigned to help Soma and Kate who were the next biggest targets now.

As Riley was tending her own gear and doing normal chores, she saw the pair approach. They were both riding a borrowed drake and little Arnulf was in a sling around Tanya's chest. Andre pulled the drake to a halt and slipped out of the saddle, taking the tiny prince for Tanya. He was about to call Riley for help, but Tanya shook her head. Despite being so recently injured, Tanya stubbornly climbed down alone. Her upper body was plenty strong enough thanks to years as a soldier and climbing a dragon saddle, and she was able to take up her crutches with no help and slowly make her way over to Andre and Riley's little fire ring in their camp. Andre made sure she was comfortable on a section of log they'd padded with furs and canvas, and handed Arnulf back to her.

"Evening, Ghis," Tanya muttered to Riley as she settled Arnulf in his blankets and a fur wrap from Dola. "Sorry to disturb the peace, but I wanted to talk to you two."

"She wouldn't let me bring you to her," Andre added quietly, his expression worried and heartbroken after saying goodbye to a man he'd loved so dearly.

"People have done enough bending over backwards for me today. I'm not going to order someone to walk across camp for me just so I can ask them more favors."

Tanya's gaze turned to Riley and she could feel as much as see the depth of Tanya's anguish, all carefully held behind a dam of stubborn, righteous fury. But that dam was cracking and leaking with fear, anxiety, and a deep dread and feeling of inadequacy.

"Before I go into my own bullshit... Riley. Would you like to meet Arnulf?" she asked in a softer voice than Riley had ever heard from the often-stubborn, viciously protective woman. Riley had seen the boy from afar a couple times but never been introduced. "I don't know how you feel about kids, but... I'd like him to have people who give a damn about him in your clan."

Tanya offered the little bundle out then. Arnulf was almost six months old at this point, slim but long and promising to be tall and slender like his father. His hair was thick and dark, but had a tinge of auburn to it. Joachim had had dark hair like his mother, but it seemed Frederick Barbarossa's famous red hair had managed to come through at least a little. But Arnulf's face was more akin to Tanya's, angular even despite round cheeks and baby fat, with a more defined point to his chin and nose that was more Roman and English than German.

"He's the quietest baby I've ever seen," Tanya murmured. "Hardly cries at all even when he needs something."

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley was cleaning up their fire pit when she saw Andre approaching on drake with Tanya at his side, the young Emperor cradled against her as she rode. She packed away her items and waited for them to get settled, glancing over at Tanya as she seemed off in her own world.

"Your Highness." Riley greeted her back as she was suddenly offered the chance to meet the new Emperor.

Riley glanced over at Andre as her husband seemed to be as apathetic after having seen Joachim and she gave Tanya a nod, taking Arnulf from his mother as she spoke about the little boy in the glowing way that only a mother could.

"Andre and I have talked about a family of our own." She said softly as she got the little boy tucked into the crook of her arm. "And I grew up with two little siblings and a lot of cousins. Some might find it surprising but the Ghis are prolific when it comes to children."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I don't find it terribly surprising. But I am glad to hear that, because I came here to talk about him..." she said with a small nod toward her son who was perfectly content in Riley's arms and dozing again in seconds.

Andre settled beside Riley, his hand naturally resting on her knee as he faced Tanya to listen.

Taking a deep breath, Tanya shook her head. "Joachim and I talked a lot about contingencies and fallbacks and even our own wills from the day we left Tonder. After he found out I was pregnant, he was adamant that we have wills and plans for our children. I think we agreed I'd probably die first because I was always the bodyguard and the one who pissed people off the most. So we had plans for guardians, and we even asked Kell Aleister to start training people to be elite bodyguards for Arnulf. But knowing Joachim could be assassinated or poisoned or... you know... tortured to death by a fucking monster..."

Andre's breath hitched but he held it together seeing Tanya forcefully pull herself back from the edge of despair. Tanya took another deep, shaky breath. "We knew if Joachim died, I would be Regent Empress. So we put some plans in place. Arnulf won't be allowed to take the throne til he's twenty. That will hopefully give him a little extra time to mature and learn before some pompous bastard cut from the same cloth as Micha von Morden can get at him. We also agreed that if both of us died, Arnulf would be placed solely in the custody of his grandmother who would be Regent Empress again."

Looking to Riley once more, Tanya finally, quietly came to her question. "I have no right to ask anything of you. Not with what you went through because of me, what Andre went through because of me especially. But I know he's biased. He still loves me as his sister. I can't ask him. It'd be unfair. So I'll ask you, Riley Ghis... if someday my son is an orphan or out of my reach, will you lend him your strength when he needs it?"

Tanya lowered her head. "I'm not asking you to serve him or the Empire or any of that. I would never compromise your freedom... But if he needs help, if he needs friends... will you at least speak up for him as a Ghis and as a Rider? Keep him honest too. I won't have him emulating anything his grandfather did. He will treat dragons and Riders with respect and reverence, and he will uphold the havens including the one Joachim was working on within the Empire. You don't have to go saving Arnulf or fighting for him... Just... look out for him, if you would..."

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley stared down at the infant that was staring back at her with eyes that seemed impossibly big for his head. “So…you both thought that it was best to get him in my arms and then ask me?” Riley asked, glancing up at Andre and then at Tanya, both of them barely containing their grief.

“It should be my mother that has a hand in raising him if you want a true and honest person. I understand why she can’t be that person in this role.” Riley murmured, reaching up to adjust the furs around the little emperor. “There are those that will think you’ve lost your mind. Are you ready for that?”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'll admit to it being underhanded on my part, but Andre had nothing to do with it," Tanya told her honestly. "I'm willing to stay the bad guy or be regarded as crazy if it means someone who isn't power-hungry will give a damn about my son outside his titles. Fiona is the reason Joachim had a chance to turn out a good man... I'm not asking you to be your mother, Riley, but I am asking you- as someone who fights viciously for what she knows is right- to just... I don't know..."

"Be there for him," Andre murmured, and Tanya nodded slowly.

"The Empire is already so incredibly fragile... it'll be a miracle if it doesn't start to break down soon. I'm going to try to stabilize things in time for Arnulf to take over, and I'll be by his side til the day I die, trying to do what's best for his people. God knows I'm the last person anyone should put in charge, but this is my lot and I'll be damned if I let my husband and son down."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I hate everything that the Empire stands for." Riley said, looking up at Andre and Tanya. "They have done nothing by try to destroy my mother. She will never find peace because of who she is because no matter how stable you think that you can make your lands, there will always be men like Micha von Morden out there waiting. Joachim was an honest man, but honest men die far before their time. Those were all the things that King Gail understood about Scotland. You can ask my Aunt Kate. That is why he chose her. He knew that he needed someone who was full of...anger and spite and stubbornness. The things that his son wasn't going to be."

"If you're asking me to help raise him, you're asking me to help impart upon him all of the things that you know that you don't have the courage to give to him." Riley murmured. "All of the things that have given me a terrible reputation to this point. You're alright with that?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm trying to do what's best for him and for the people who need an Emperor who gives a damn," Tanya muttered lowly, almost a growl. The anger was certainly not directed at Riley, but the circumstances. "Maybe I am asking you to encourage him to be more like a Ghis than a Hendrik or Ashcroft. Maybe I'm asking you to help me find the courage to do that too. Something has to change or he'll end up like the men before him. He'll have the Alstadts and Johania- the best Imperial men and women I could ask for- to help him along the way at home, and the Archbishop and other friends Joachim trusted. I just hope he'll have friends in the North too."

Andre looked to Riley, not wanting to speak for her or agree to things unless she was sure. But his expression alone told her that he'd already made up his mind at least for himself.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I can't promise you anything." Riley said, her amber eyes looking at Tanya with a bit of pain before she glanced down at Arnulf. "But I will promise him. I promise that I won't let you turn out like the men around you wish you'll turn out. I promise you that the men and women that rode at your father's back will defend you to their dying breath, not because they couldn't do anything for him, but because they believed in the world that he was creating. Then men of your court want things to remain the way that they are, but they can't. You need to be the fire that cleanses it. You're not a Ghis nor an Ashcroft nor a Hendrik....you are yourself. You will live in a way that your father and his father and his father before never could."

 

[KieranSoares]

Tanya's head lowered as Riley spoke, the weight on her shoulders growing heavier but another weight lifted. Resting her elbows on her knees, she buried her face in her hands. Tears brimmed but she refused to let them out anymore.

Andre watched one of his oldest friends struggle not to crumble, but he turned his gaze to Riley once more. "Thank you, Ri," he murmured, kissing her cheek. He began to stand to go to Tanya's side, but the Empress picked herself up with the help of her crutches.

"If it's okay with you, Riley... I just... I need a moment. I won't leave you to look after him all day, I promise. Just... twenty minutes to get myself together."

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley gave Tanya a nod, watching as she hobbled away on her crutches as she left them alone with her son. The little Emperor didn't even whimper as he continued to stare at Riley. She let out a sigh as she glanced over at Andre and shrugged slightly.

"Don't get any ideas." She murmured softly to try and lighten the mood, knowing that he was still suffering from the loss of his dear friend. "This isn't how any of this was supposed to turn out, Koah. It's a fucking tragedy, especially if she thinks that I'm the best person out there to have a hand in raising her son."

 

[KieranSoares]

"This... this cycle has to stop..." Andre murmured, lowering his head into his hands with a deep, shaky breath. "It feels like every generation has to contend with some horrible, power-hungry bastard, and the moment we start to steady the course again, another monster comes along to fuck it all up. Joachim was what the Empire needed to heal and become worth something again. We helped him cut out so much rot... he was earning the support of his people and he put a good council in place. Now... I believe in Tanya, I do... but she's got so much against her trying to hold this all together."

He lifted his head to look at the infant who was starting to snuggle into his blankets and doze off. "God, little guy... It's gonna be a miracle if you see twenty, much less have an Empire by then..." It was the horrible truth of the matter. Between the threat of Hesperus, treachery, assassins, and so much otherwise, the little Emperor was facing a sheer climb to even survive, much less turn out the kind of man the Empire really needed.

"This is why Tanya asked you," Andre murmured, looking to his wife with a depressed, but still determined gaze. "She knows it needs to stop. And if Arnulf is raised the way Joachim or Lothair or Barbarossa were, he'll die young like them. He'll either turn out a horrible, greedy bastard, or naive and too gentle. Either way ends badly for him and everyone involved. Tanya is the kind of woman I believe can raise a good, dedicated man. But if I understand her reasoning... she's looking for fire. The fire to face the wrongs of the world and call them out and fight like mad against them. She had that fire for Joachim and she will for Arnulf himself... but Arnulf will need it for an entire Empire of people. And who better to ask than the woman who summons up that determination and stubbornness for an entire alliance? You've ridden into the heart of the Empire for a single man. You've helped take down walls and cities. You were blown up trying to spare others from that same pain and horror. And most of all, you haven't let any of this break your conviction and your dedication to what you believe in, especially your clan. Tanya asked you not because she didn't want to ask Fiona with everything going on right now. She asked you because you're Riley Ghis. She's seen firsthand what you can do and what you're willing to do for what's right."

Andre was certainly Riley's greatest admirer by a long shot. But his words came from a place of deep understanding of Tanya. Despite his time in Vienna, Andre had slowly been repairing that friendship when he could, and his experience from training and fighting and struggling beside Tanya and Joachim before the Johania Riders made him confident in his appraisal of the situation. He was now perhaps the one man alive who truly understood Tanya and her ways.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm not a mythical creature." Riley murmured, glancing up at her husband. "And you know that. I'm not like my Ma either. Ma has suffered because of her legend. I have suffered because of my name. I fight because I want a world that is just for everyone, not just for me and my family."

She shifted Arnulf as he started to sleep, letting out a long sigh. "We are also not going to put our lives on hold for this, Koah. We have plans. We have dreams for a future. I know that you want to be in the middle of Tanya's fight because you loved Joachim, but we would be doing ourselves a huge injustice."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I don't want to put anything on hold," Andre assured her quietly. "All she's asking for is support, not service. She knows freedom is too precious to us. But at the moment, her fight and ours align. When Hesperus is gone and the isles secured as Joachim promised... She'll take Arnulf home and continue her own war alone. If I know her at all, she would only ask us to visit her son occasionally, and would only call for help if she had no choice."

It wasn't terribly long before Tanya returned. Even though she'd wiped the tears away, her glassy, red eyes gave away that she'd been crying far from anyone else's sight. She quietly thanked the couple but didn't sit back down. "I should go back to my tent... Alex will come looking otherwise."

Looking to see her son fast asleep, Tanya sighed deeply. "Riley, if you could just hand him up to me, I can make it back on my own. I'm sorry I took Andre away so long."

With that, Tanya made her way over to the waiting drake and stowed her crutches on the saddle before climbing up and getting her ruined leg over.

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley stood by and waited for Tanya to get settled before she offered up Arnulf. Once the little Emperor was in his mother's arms, she stepped back beside Andre and took her husband's hand, squeezing it tightly. "We are here if you need us. Don't hesitate."

 

[KieranSoares]

"If only for his sake... I'll try to be a little less stubborn about accepting help," Tanya murmured, settling her infant son into his sling. She looked down to Riley and Andre once more, and added softly, "Thank you... Really. For everything."

An arm draped around her son, Tanya turned the drake about and headed back for Alex's corner of camp. Andre watched her go with a heavy heart, his own grief for Joachim outdone by worry for his dear friend and a baby he felt immensely protective over. Leaning into Riley's side, he soon turned toward her and laid his head on her shoulder as his own sagged heavily. His voice was muffled against her tunic, but he muttered, "Promise I won't be so useless this time... No one needs some shiftless, sad layabout again."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Have I said anything about it?" Riley asked as she wrapped her arms around her husband, hugging him tightly. "You have lost far more than anyone might have imaged, loved. No one blames you for struggling, even if for a short amount of time."

She nuzzled against him as he leaned heavily against her side. "I know we don't have the luxury of large expanses of time at the moment, but I won't deny you what you need, Koah."