The North (Closed)

[KieranSoares]

"If one of you do figure out who it is, you're to report it immediately. Do not confront the person," Kell told them firmly. "And keep this change as quiet as possible. Reassign your staff and if any of them show resistance or disobey their assignments, report it."

Alex nodded slowly, sighing as he stood. "Thankfully we have enough doctors in the family to manage that. I'll come up with a new organization chart before bed." Knowing he could trust his own little family, Jan and Luna, Loren, and his own little brother Ruari among the staff, Alex tried to convince himself they'd manage til the spy was caught.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'll help you." Luna promised, not wanting Alex to shoulder this burden on his own. "We are in this together."

Luna stood and walked with Alex from the room, already discussing what they would do in order to keep on a schedule. Kate let out a long sigh as the doors to the room closed.

"Fucking hell." Kate muttered, rubbing hands over her face. "We get to where we are making progress and it's all ripped away."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Two steps forward and one step back," Kell agreed in his own way. "We're still moving forward... As much as I hate that something has tempted or scared someone we love into turning against us. Above all, Stila can't win. She might take a few battles, but I swear she's going to lose this war and lose her head right alongside Royer."

Kell stood, too anxious to sit any longer. "I just can't believe they got to someone so close... Blaine was one matter. A young boy convinced by the Empire's most clever that he could save his family and prevent an all-out war. But an adult from our immediate family, whether terrified or tempted into betrayal... It goes against everything Clan Ghis stands for."

 

[heartofcourage]

"We don't know any of that for certain, Khelt. We can hope that it isn't true, but we won't be blinded by it." Kate said softly as Kell paced. "I choose to have the confidence in my family."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I have nothing but confidence in our family. That's why this hurts and it's why Stila did it. I won't lose my trust in everyone else."

Kell paused to reach out for her hand. It was as much an offer of comfort as seeking it. "Above all, we keep our cubs safe and help Soma continue moving us forward. Anything else will be taken in stride as much as we can manage." He leaned down to kiss the back of her hand before adding thoughtfully, "Bo is well on his way to exceeding every hope I had for him in this position. He's firm but he doesn't lose his temper. He looks after the staff and commands that nobles respect them. And he's still finding ways to protect Soma, even though Bo isn't his bodyguard anymore. I... I wouldn't have imagined he could, or would even want to do all of this."

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate took her husband's hand, listening to his assurances that they would remain firm. "He wants to do it because he wants to live up to my legacy. I've told him time and again that he has nothing to prove to either of us. He could forge his own path if he wanted to, but he's convinced that this is what he wants."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Consider that... maybe he's realized this is what he wants. He just never had the context for it before. I've seen him bloom in roles of looking after people." Kell took his seat beside her again, wrapping her hand in both his own. "We barely used to trust him with herding goats out on the steppes. Once we listened to his frustrations and he met us in the middle, he became a prince. And he's been doing everything in his power to prepare for his mantle since the day he finally accepted it. Despite everything going on... I don't mind admitting that I find some comfort in that. As long as we see him through all of this, I really believe Scotland's future is safe with him."

Kell and Kate had struggled with Brogan from a young age. While he'd been his mother's shadow til around age nine, he'd become a hellion after that once he realized there were barriers in his way due to his youth, his identity as a Wolf and a prince, and because of who his parents were. Unable to relax those barriers much because of the danger, Kell had found a deep wedge driven between himself and his son moreso than Bo had with Kate. That rift finally began to heal when they gave him a chance to try, fail, and try again at learning swordplay. And when Brogan had been given an active role among Kell's agents, he thrived on being useful. While it'd been terrifying to see him in danger protecting Soma, Kell had admitted that it was precisely the experience Brogan needed to understand the risks his own guardians would take for him one day. It gave him a perspective and appreciation few typical nobles had.

"Our cub is going to help us see this through. And it's more than I ever could've asked for," Kell added softly. "Even now, after what Qira reported, Bo has made it his top priority to keep Shani safe."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I still have guilt from how things were when he was a child. I wish I had been the one to raise him entirely instead of depending on Rissa to do it." Kate said softly. "And he knows that too. Yet here we are. Back in the same position that we were at the beginning of all of this. I hope that we can hold our family together this time in a way that we couldn't before."

"Let's get some sleep, love. We can't afford to be run down right now." Kate said, squeezing his hand before she stood to escort him to their chambers.

The next morning, Fiona was up early. She was restless and needed to be outside of castle walls. She needed to spend time with the dragons. That was how she found herself with the youngest dragons, sitting on Rikke's arm as other young dragons gathered around. She spoke with each, answering their questions as she worked on a piece of tack for Rikke.

"She's an elder dragon who is still growing. She won't likely be as big as her father when she finally stops, but she'll be formidable." Fiona said with a smile as one asked why Rikke was already getting new tack after so recently having gotten Andre's colors.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Da says I'll probably be growing past thirty," Rikke mused, "and then I'll fill out after that. But Elder Dragons never completely stop growing. He's so big because he's over a millennium old. Dzana too."

"Speaking of," one of Rikke's friends among the young dragons, a dusty purple female with a white underbelly and dark mane. "It must be strange to see him back with his former mate. Does this make Sveri your sister now?"

Rikke shrugged slightly, "Ever since she came to us, I've looked after her like a sister because Da wanted her safe for Dzana's sake. I don't really get into their business beyond that."

While Fiona and Sam had been laid up and Fiona cut herself off from everyone mentally, Schaller had sought companionship and comfort with Dzana and made good on his promise to ask her to be his mate again when they survived the fight with Hesperus. Schaller had been giving Fiona space since she forcefully isolated herself, but he was never too far away. Even at that moment, Fiona could feel him nearby, just outside the city with some of the other dragons who were injured or off-duty or waiting on partners to heal.

"Though I guess if Da and Dzana stay together... Sveri would be my sister," Rikke murmured, the tip of her tail curling and a little smile coming to her face. Looking down to Fiona, she chuckled, "Yet another addition to the clan."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Rikke’s real mother was killed by hunters.” Fiona murmured, glancing up at the younger dragons. “Before the last war, her egg was being defended an older sister who didn’t survive the encounter. I don’t preach about hoards to dragons because what they do with their gold is up to them, but it’s why I believe in the havens so completely.”

“Rikke was brought to me as a new hatchling and I personally fed her the first few days of her life.” Finishing a strap, Fiona carefully attached it to Andre’s saddle, pleased that the new length would give Rikke room to grow comfortably.

 

[KieranSoares]

The other dragons smiled, a few of them knowing the stories of how Fiona had been a surrogate mother of sorts alongside Invah. Rikke had often called Fiona's family her own, raised like a sister beside Fiona's own children.

Once the second major strap was complete, Rikke scooped up the saddle, easily able to put it on herself so Fiona could double-check that the straps were right and the extra length was easily secured. After a year of training, she was finally getting some minor saddle grooves in her scales and her tack was getting more comfortable. That was about when some of the night patrol started coming in to land, and some of the young dragons trotted off to find their Riders and take up their shifts.

Once the saddle seemed well-adjusted and complete, Rikke settled back down with Fiona again. Now with the others away, she broached what she worried was a bit of a sensitive subject. "Have you talked to Da at all this morning?" She asked softly. "He's been a little listless, but he hasn't wanted to disturb you and Sam."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona couldn’t look Rikke in the eye as she fiddled with the end of the leather strap.

“I haven’t spoken to him in days.” She admitted. “I admit that I’ve been…stubborn.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"That wasn't meant to make you feel guilty," Rikke assured her gently. "Dzana has been taking good care of him. With You and Sam healing and... well, knowing what we know now about Sam's injury, they've been comforting each other. Dzana hasn't been cut off from Sam, but he's not really connecting with her and she's worried especially with him being a new Caller. So they've been focusing on safeguarding the other Callers and dragons here in Edinburgh. Trying to be useful while they're grounded and healing too. If I know Da at all, he'll wait forever for you. He knows that fight and everything leading up to it was... there's no better word for it all than 'horrifying,' I suppose."

She laid her head down beside Fiona. "Riley and Andre have had a hard time dealing with it in their own way. Marth and me too. Everyone's reeling but trying to focus on the next steps forward. I don't think anyone can really process it all while the war is still going on. I'm sorry if I'm rambling or making you feel worse... I guess I'm a little lost like the rest of those who fought Hesperus."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Love, we all have our thoughts on the situation and you are no different. I wish none of it had to have happened." She said softly, patting Rikke's maw gently. "And I wish that you could return to Sweden to be with Invah and Gaiann. It's hard to think of you old enough to be out here in the heat of battle."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm where I need to be," Rikke assured her. "Even if this was never what Da wanted for me, I grew up wanting to help keep our family safe. Even if Riley and I were always a pair when we were younger, I used to talk with Soma for hours about how we'd learn to be of help to the North. We thought much smaller then, imagining he'd maybe serve in Kayla's court and I'd be Riley's partner or a Norwegian Royal Rider's companion. Now... he's on his way to being a Prince, and I somehow got my wish to stick with my sister, as her husband's partner."

Rikke cracked a small smile then. "But speaking of Invah and Gaiann, I can't wait for you to meet little Amistadt. You always loved hatchlings, dragon or drake. And considering your relationship with Invah, I guess he'd be your little brother in a way."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I suppose he is." Fiona said with a small smile. "I'll go and speak with your father before breakfast is called. I promise."

When Fiona left Rikke, she made her way to where the dragons were staying. Still shut off from the rest of the world, it felt strange to stand there and watch them all without feeling them intimately. She let out a small sigh and made her way to where Schaller and Dzana were curled together.

"Hello, old man." Fiona said softly.

 

[KieranSoares]

Fiona found Schaller and Dzana side-by-side. He lay partly on one side, his head resting atop hers while her wing was draped over him. When Fiona spoke, Schaller's green eyes opened in surprise. Normally he knew when his partner approached or was looking for him. Dzana was a little slower to wake while Schaller lifted his head and carefully slipped from her side. He lowered his great head til his beard brushed the grass, but stopped short of nuzzling Fiona in greeting as he normally would. He didn't know what was in her mind or heart at that moment, and he didn't want to push the boundary she'd set. Dzana was quiet, keeping back to let them be.

"Hello, little Fox," Schaller answered, his low rumble offering comfort and assuring her right away that her absence had not dampened his care. He couldn't help but add just above a whisper, "I'm so glad to see you, my love."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona reached out and pressed her hand against his maw, unable to tell him why she had kept him at a distance for so long. "I'm sorry, Schaller. It has to be this way for a while longer. I never meant to hurt you, though."

 

[KieranSoares]

Once Fiona reached out first, Schaller leaned into her touch and coiled around her. It gave away how much he'd missed having any connection at all with her. "I know having other minds pressing in isn't what you need right now," he rumbled. "I worry and I feel a bit... detached, and I won't pretend it doesn't pain me. So I've been trying to keep myself busy with Dzana and Rikke when I can."

 

[heartofcourage]

"There's a great gaping hole in my soul." She said softly as he curled around her. "How it hasn't crippled me completely, I'll never know. It would bring every other dragon or rider that tried to enter my mind to their knees. I can't...Schaller, I can't put you through that."

"I was wrong to not talk to you at all. You went through hell at my side and I was selfish." Fiona murmured, leaning into his warm scales. "I owe you the world."

 

[KieranSoares]

"We endure hell for each other," he reminded her softly. "Even if you feel you have to stay closed off, I will listen when you need me. I will be an anchor, an escape, whatever I can provide. Because you have always done the same for me." Schaller's great hand curled around her and he held her with a light nuzzle. Even if they weren't fully reconnected, he was grateful to have her close again.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax, safe for the first time in days as Schaller held her. It was the first moment that she could finally breathe easily since the battle had taken place.

While Fiona reconnected with Schaller, Riley and Soma had gone to meet with their father. Riley knew something had happened that neither her mother or her father wanted to talk about and she was going to get to the bottom of the issue.

"You're looking well, Da." Riley said as she kissed Sam's cheek and took a seat next to his bed.

 

[KieranSoares]

As Alex had promised, Sam had finally been allowed out of bed to move around a bit that morning when he woke, if only to keep the rest of his body active. When Soma and Riley joined him, he had just finished washing up and changing into fresh clothes. His leg, still immobilized, was hidden once again beneath a light blanket while he tried to focus on some letters Kell had brought for him. Sam put them aside in a small lockbox when his children sat down beside him, and locked the lid so that they wouldn't be easy for any spy to steal.

"I don' know if I'd call this 'well,'" Sam grunted, kissing Riley's cheek in return. His voice was hoarse from disuse and exhaustion despite how he seemed to be sleeping all the time since his injury. "I look like I got crushed by a dragon."

Soma, settling at Riley's side, glanced at his sister and then to his father. "We've been so busy with Edinburgh that we didn't have much time to come see you til now. It's good to see Ma out with the dragons and we heard you were finally able to get out of bed a little."

"Kell's been tellin' me what you two are up to," Sam murmured with a weak but proud smile, avoiding talking about himself. "Bloody proud o' you, much as I worry. Despite other worries goin' on, I know she's havin' a lot smoother of a time than she expected on the admin side now that she's got you, lad. An' with yer Ma out o' commission, you've really kept things runnin' well, Ri."

 

[heartofcourage]

"She's still in pain, that's plain to see, but I don't know how much longer she'll let me keep the reigns. She's never been the kind of person to take it easy." Riley said as she noticed the stiffness in her father's body, the way that he seemed to be struggling to keep everything together. "You survived. That's all I think that I can ask for."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I honestly don' know if she can take the reins back anytime soon," Sam admitted softly. "Even if I've been a bedridden wreck, I can see she's not doin' well."

"Da, what happened?" Soma finally asked bluntly, though not without empathy. "We obviously know what played out on the battlefield. But you and Ma are keeping something from us."

"We aren't ready to talk about it," Sam sighed, but his tone was firm. He didn't bother to deny it.