The North (Closed)

[KieranSoares]

"Okay," Sam whispered, slowly sitting them both up and facing her, brushing her hair back from her face. "Whatever you need to do, love. I'm here to help if you need it. Soma's been keepin' my plate clear so I can work with you an' Dzana."

He leaned in to kiss her, taking a long moment to center them both before he finally rose to get dressed.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I don't need you babying me all day either, Sam." Fiona said softly as he got up to dress. "I might die tomorrow, but that doesn't mean that I need you treating me with kid gloves."

"The rest of the world will look at me as if I'm fragile or unlucky, but I won't have you doing it." She murmured before she finally pulled herself out of bed to start to dress for the day.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Offerin' help isn't 'babying,' love. Otherwise I'd have taken this whole thing over from you," Sam reminded gently as he pulled on a fresh tunic. "No one needs to face things like this alone."

He brushed out his long hair and tied it back before continuing about his normal morning routine, finishing by tying on his sword belt.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Your form of help can be." Fiona murmured as she pulled on a pair of trousers and then laced herself into a freshly starched white tunic before pulling a tooled black leather vest on. She didn't want to wear armor. She was going to be trapped in it tomorrow and perhaps for her entire afterlife. She wasn't about to be trapped in it all day long.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Alright," Sam sighed, knowing there wasn't much he could do. Once they were both ready, he turned toward the tent entrance and stepped out, holding the flap open for Fiona. Their little part of camp was quiet and fairly devoid of people, but a number had gathered at some fires or were sparring and practicing their aim. The largest group were archers led by Markos who had his partner Diana with him and were showing the archers where to aim to stand the greatest chance of getting their poisoned arrows past Hesperus's scales.

Jani was also out there running younger members of the family through defensive riding tactics and what to do if unseated or crashing. Everyone was preparing in their own ways, trying to prevent as many deaths as possible in the fight while they hit Hesperus with as many distractions as possible and tried to wear him down.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona stepped outside of the tent and stopped in her tracks. She stood there and took in everything around her, quiet as she watched the preparations happening just beyond their campgrounds. It broke her heart. She knew that those people would die come the morning and she didn't want to lose a single soul. She was barely able to stop the scream that wanted to tear from her throat as she closed her eyes against the pain that made her chest feel heavy.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam stopped a few paces ahead when he realized she'd frozen and he looked back to find Fiona standing there trying to keep herself together. She could feel his very presence grow heated with hidden anger at the entire situation, so unshielded still as his mind was. But he contained it calmly and he kept himself from trying to double back and help or rescue her in some way, as much as he wanted to. Instead, he patiently waited in silence and support for when Fiona wanted his help or comfort. He didn't want to suffocate her or add to her distress.

Among Jani's group, Andre was running through some first aid with everyone. They all had been trained, but Andre had insisted on brushing up on tourniquets and some other important basics and ensuring that everyone had a fully-packed medical kit. Despite his recent losses and hurts, he was focused and more serious than anyone- even Riley- had ever seen him. As he was checking over everyone's work, he knelt by Riley to check her own medical supplies. He already knew they were fine, since he checked both of theirs often anyway. But he couldn't help triple-checking everything. If someone was badly wounded or lost a limb, a good kit would be the difference between life and death.

"Your parents are up," Andre murmured to his wife. "Your Ma doesn't look so good... Anyone else would've gone mad already." His tone was forlorn, knowing his beloved mother-in-law was under terrible strain. "I hope the feast does everyone some good, especially her. There's not a soul here who I think would run, but God, I wouldn't blame any of them if they did at this point."

 

[heartofcourage]

"She's never backed away from a challenge in her life, but she would run if she had the chance." Riley said as she glanced up at Andre. "She might be noble and stoic, but she's terrified of the outcome. Ma would rather face this dragon alone than pull all of us along with her. I understand, but she needs our help and it's inevitable that someone won't be coming home with us."

When Fiona finally settled down, she did so away from the rest of the camp. Just as it had been suggested to her, she sat in the tall grass and simply tried to reconnect herself with the earth. It didn't do much to help her mood as she halfheartedly sharpened one of her small daggers. Glancing up only as she heard someone approaching, she paused when she saw Soma. There was no doubt that Sam had sent him to try and brighten her mood. She didn't say anything as he sat at her side, but she did place her sharpening stone and weapon in her lap and wrap her arm around his shoulder to hold him against her side.

"You're getting much too big for me, love." She murmured softly, pressing her head against his.

 

[KieranSoares]

Soma leaned into Fiona the instant she reached out, his hand coming up to rest over hers. He buried his face against her shoulder for a long moment and took a deep breath. Soma hadn't been showing it, but behind his fury at Hesperus and the Royers, a deep worry and sadness had been growing as he realized not everyone would make it home. And most of all, he was worried that Fiona would never see Inverness again. Or, if she did, she would no longer be herself.

As Fiona spoke, Soma only leaned in tighter. "Sometimes I wish I was still too small to understand what's going on," he admitted softly. "Or big enough to stop this nonsense."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Do you know what I wish? I wish that I could simply be Fiona Ghis." She murmured softly. "I wish that I could simply be your mother and your father's wife. That's what I wish for most of all."

She turned her face and nuzzled against Soma's hair, letting out a sigh as the both of them shared the moment together. "We come from an ancient bloodline, my love. We should always be proud of that, but it's alright to wish that we were something different."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I am proud. I always have been. But sometimes the weight that comes with these names... it's just too much. You know that better than anyone, I know." Soma closed his eyes and tried to relax a little. "I'm scared. I never stopped being scared, but this is a kind of fear I haven't felt before. Not even when I thought I might die from losing my arm. I'm not scared for myself, but everyone else. I'm scared that we'll lose people that the rest of us can't bear to lose, and it'll make all of this feel like it was for nothing even if we do get home." Soma tilted his head to look up at her. "And I know you don't need to hear any of this right now... I'm sorry."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Soma, I fought to bring us home knowing that not all of us would make it." Fiona said softly, thinking back on her fight for the last twenty years. "I fought against kings and queens and lords and ladies because this is my home. I raged against anyone who would listen even when no one else could see the light at the end of the tunnel. What will happen tomorrow was not part of those plans. A rouge dragon was never part of the plan. Men and women will die that were not meant to because of his selfishness. That is what pains me."

"Hesperus has seen more than any of us could ever dream of. Imagine the things that he might tell us if he were in his right mind. Instead, he wishes to be put down like a dog amid flames and ash and bone."

 

[KieranSoares]

"We could help him, if he'd give us a chance..." Soma murmured. "Markos has tried reaching out to reason, but Hesperus has shut every one of us out except you, I think. I know it's hopeless but we could try one more time tomorrow..." Despite everything, Soma had a big heart for dragonkind. He could sympathize even with a mad monster, driven to insanity by an unknown illness. After all, Hesperus had seen thousands of years of war and hardship. And despite some of the awful things he'd done, Soma wished Hesperus could listen to offers of peace and quiet. It would spare everyone heartache including Hesperus himself who was about to get himself killed for the sake of an overblown, mentally-ill god complex.

 

[heartofcourage]

"He's been given his chance, my love." Fiona said softly, her hand smoothing over Soma's golden hair. "I take no joy in slaying a dragon, but he has made it known that I will be the one that will take his life."

"I might lose myself in this, Soma. I might never be the same when everything is said and done. I need you to promise me that you will be strong and you will be the same sweet boy that I know you are. You need to keep your sense of justice."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Always," Soma promised without hesitation. "I spent all that time going to court with you, learning laws and outsmarting our enemies, so I could take care of our people like you do. I knew somewhere along the way I might be a Prince and eventually a King. I believed you that we were going home when no one else would."

Soma met her gaze, his own fierce green eyes bright with determination. "No matter what happens, I'm going to take care of our people. Dragons, werefolk, humans... All of them. And you too whenever you need it."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona gently touched his cheek and gave him a small smile as he swore to her to be what she needed. "Tell your father when you go back that I'm alright. I know he was worried and sent you here." She kissed his forehead. "My sweet Soma."

 

[KieranSoares]

"He was worried about me too..." Soma admitted quietly, curling back into her side. Even if he outsized her now, he had never been a boy to outgrow his mother. Far from it.

Soma lingered a while before he knew he had to get back to organizing things. Even if the eastern camp was readying to fight Hesperus, Soma had to plan ahead for Edinburgh, Inverness, even eventually some of the northernmost clans if they didn't give in after Edinburgh fell. But most of all, Soma was trying to take as much weight off everyone as possible so they could all enjoy time together that evening. He enlisted plenty of help from cousins to allow older warriors time to relax, and he made sure to get everyone he could there. Many who weren't fighting would leave in the evening to safety, leaving only the fighters in the easternmost camp who would face Hesperus. A backup force was only a couple miles away, ready to hit Edinburgh or contain Hesperus depending on who won.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona did what any mother would have done in that moment and supported her son, holding him tightly and rocking him as it was just the two of them. As the morning gave way to the afternoon and the weather grew warmer, Fiona sent Soma back to his duties before she retreated into the woods. She came to the river where Sam and Riley had worked with the dragons on her armor and she stripped off her clothing, slipping into the water to relax and forget about her troubles.

She floated in the water and watched as the dappled sun came in through the leaves above her. It was a different place, she thought to herself. She could almost imagine that she wasn't about to face down Hesperus. Instead, she was with her mother when she was very young, swimming on a hot day in Inverness just the two of them on one of her good days. There were also days like this in Norway, with her own little family. Tati had been an infant when she and Sam had taken them all to swim in the fjords. Riley fearlessly leapt from the rocks into the water while Soma stayed more cautiously near the shore. Tati had been content to splash in Fiona's lap in the shallows.

Opening her eyes, Fiona let out a small sigh and reminded herself that her family was what she was fighting for. If Hesperus were allowed to live, there was no place on Earth that was safe for them. There was no place that was safe for anyone.

 

[KieranSoares]

Fiona was truly alone in the stream, only the distant awareness of other Callers and dragons in her mind as they moved around the camp nearby. At one point, Schaller's presence came forward gently checking in on his partner, but not physically coming to her side as he knew she needed her space. Between the closest members of her family, they made sure Fiona was left alone as long as she wanted.

Prep work for the feast began a bit after lunch, and the call was sent out across the clan that evening for everyone to gather for the largest spread they'd all had since the night before leaving Norway. Soma had given over stewardship of the feast to Sam and the former King of Inverness looked over everything with a calm, gentle guidance as he directed those involved. Chairs and stools from all over camp had been brought in, but there were almost no tables to spare outside where the food was laid out. Many sat on saddle blankets or spare cloaks with their own mess kits. Groups went up to gather their own portions, the most veteran and revered sent up first. When Fiona arrived, Sam still stood before everyone and helped serve, leaving himself for last. He would make sure everyone was served before he spoke to them all and then he'd eat.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona sat there on a Ghis tartan that had been spread on the ground, waiting for Sam to join her. She had been served from the spread, but she didn't feel much like eating. She hadn't eaten a bite all day, actually. Her stomach was tied up in knots as she looked around at all gathered. She settled on Sam as he stood there so calm and collected, waiting for the moment to talk to everyone. As the head of the family it was his right to make a statement.

 

[KieranSoares]

Once the last person was seated, Sam looked over them all noting how uncharacteristically quiet everything was. As the few voices went quiet, Sam finally spoke.

"We should be home celebrating the spring festival," he said loudly enough for everyone to hear, though his voice had a gentle tone to it. "Tomorrow is the first of May. We should have gardens an' fields planted an' sprouting. Flowers an' ribbons an' lanterns everywhere in the streets and on the keep, the little ones chasing around in the grass, young lovers dancin' every chance they get... But instead, this year we're fightin' a monster most of us never even knew existed an' we're still no' quite home yet. Next year, my loves, we'll have the biggest May Day celebrations I can give you."

Sam slowly paced around the gathered crowd as he spoke, meeting every single gaze at least once. "We all know what's at stake an' what we might lose tomorrow. It's Ghis tradition to gather before a battle to make sure that if these are our last memories, they're joyful and we're together. I won't sugarcoat it for you, not even the young ones this time: some of us are going t'die. Any an' all of you have been free to leave this entire time, and you will remain free to do so. I would never call a person a coward for fleeing the single most terrifying enemy we've ever been pitted against. But I know there's no running for some of us. Everyone here has someone they refuse to leave behind... and that's what makes us such a strong family. Blood or no, everyone here is a Ghis, and we're strongest when we defend our family. That's what gives us good odds against Hesperus. Any one of us who falls would send dozens into a rage and we won't quit til he or all of us are done for."

Sam paused in the middle of the gathering, surveying the determination, fear, nerves, and anger around him. "I need you all to fight like hell, my loves. But I need you to fight to live. Protect each other, do everything you can to bring as many of us as possible out the other side. Fight for the love of life an' family." He then added with a small smile toward Kate, "Fight so I can force Kate to hand out knighthoods next week."

That seemed to break the tension with a much-needed rumble of laughter and Sam smiled all around. "And fight for these moments when we're all together, leaning on each other an' united like a family should be. Some of you are old enough to remember the big family dinners in Inverness. An' I intend t'bring our big Summer Solstice celebrations home with us too. Remember all the times we've come together without a thought when hardship hits us, how we close ranks around those that need us most. For myself, at least... I'm fighting for the chance t'sit each of you down one-on-one sometime over homemade mead when we get home. I'm fighting for my little ones an' their mother t'run free in the fields an' forests of my homeland. Most of all... I'm fightin' for another forty or fifty years of being with the love of my life, three little souls we raised together, their kids an' theirs, an' being with all of you. Jani too, despite her best efforts to annoy me."

Another round of relieved chuckles, and Sam winked to Jani who only smirked back from her spot beside Dola. "No matter what comes of tomorrow," Sam said after taking a deep breath, "An' no matter how we came t'be here, I can say with absolute certainty that whenever my time comes, I'll die a happy man for having known all of you. An' I've lived a happy man for a good long time now beside you. Hesperus can't take that away. So eat, drink, dance, steal away with your sweethearts, whatever you want to do tonight. Come join me in the field tomorrow with full hearts."

As Sam finished, his uncles and father were the first to cheer and try to bolster spirits further with their own show of joy and courage, and the applause and cheers spread. Sam bowed his head slightly and stepped away. If anyone else wanted to speak, they had the floor. But otherwise, Sam's words helped stir up conversation and a bit more frivolity. Everyone was nervous, but everyone needed a moment of respite and relaxation together.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate took over from her brother as the life of the party to give him the chance to fade away, her voice carrying over everything. She had no problem slipping into that role to give him the chance to slip back beside his wife if he needed. Fiona had watched as Sam gave his speech but had grown distracted as he made his way towards her with his share of the meal in his hands. Only she knew what she was seeing and hearing, staring off into the distance and seeing nothing until she finally turned her head to acknowledge her husband.

"He hasn't even started to move from Edinburgh yet." She said softly, connected to Hesperus in the most intimate way possible. "I'm sure he won't before dawn."

She placed her hands over her face and rubbed the skin roughly as if to scrub away her melancholy and the deep-seated feelings that she had been dealing with all day. "I wish I could be more cheerful for everyone's sake. I know they're all watching."

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam took a seat, setting his plate down but looking similarly disinterested in eating. "No one here expects you to put on a front, an' Kate's good at distracting." He sighed heavily, calm but feeling an immense weight on his shoulders as well. "I wish we could be cheerful. Nothin' I'd like more'n feeling a little carefree for a while. Makes me miss the days we'd take the kids out t'the meadows on a whim an' chase around til dark like nothin' else mattered."

Sam wanted so badly to wrap Fiona up in his arms and hide with her, curled up with Schaller and Dzana where no one could see them. But he also didn't want to hover or make her feel like he was being too precious with her. After she'd reminded him he could be too protective that morning, he'd done all he could to make sure she had peace and quiet and freedom to do as she wanted that day.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona stared up at her husband for a moment before she reached and gently touched his cheek. She had been wrong to scold him that morning, but he had given her the distance that she had needed and asked for. She moved to lean into his side, encouraging him to wrap his arm around her as she let out a long sigh and closed her eyes as her cheek rested against his chest.

 

[KieranSoares]

When Fiona moved into his arms of her own accord, Sam hugged her close and practically curled around her. His head came to rest against hers and he let out a deep, quiet sigh. "I love you," he murmured simply, as if it'd been just that easy to say all his life. His presence enveloped her like the warmth of a fire, like they were home again curled up by the hearth. And through him, Fiona could feel just how incredibly grounded he was, how in-tune with the land around them, and how steady he was despite facing death and loss that next day. He shared that stability as best he knew how with her.