The North (Closed)

[KieranSoares]

"I would rather speak to the staff first and find out if Ruari's involvement can be ruled out reasonably," Kell explained calmly. "I have to move quickly in case we're mistaken and the real informant has a chance to escape. If you think Alex should know now, go and wake him."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Fuck." Riley muttered. "What if we were wrong? We could only see the figures, not the faces nor the voices."

Riley looked over at Andre with such a lost expression on her features. "What if we just condemned Ruari to death for something he didn't do?"

 

[KieranSoares]

As Kell stepped away, Andre took Riley's hand. He looked similarly conflicted, but he had to believe they'd done the right thing. "Kell wouldn't have someone executed unless he was absolutely certain, family or no. If it was Ruari out there, he can tell us who he was talking to and we can hopefully confirm it was innocent. In that case, the worst that'll happen is Ruari being reprimanded. If Kell can't prove it one way or the other, Ruari won't be killed. That's not how Kell works."

Andre held her gaze with a deep worry despite his confidence in Kell. "We have to trust we did the right thing. If we hadn't said anything, we would've regretted it later if more information got out."

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley thought about the matter for a moment before she pulled on Andre's hand and led him down the hallway. Soon, she was pounding on the door to her parent's room. Fiona was up late reading, having spend the entire day sleeping with the dragons. She glanced up as she heard the frantic knocking and answering the door in an instant.

"Riley? What's wrong, love?" Fiona asked as Riley pushed past her to tell them both the story of what had happened.

"Ma. Da. We have to help him." Fiona glanced at Sam as Riley seemed beside herself.

"I'll go." Fiona promised.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam sat up as Riley spoke, and moved to the edge of the bed where his crutches were in reach. When Fiona volunteered to go, Sam nodded knowing he'd be slow to get anywhere. "Keep me in the loop, then. I'll make my way t'Soma's office. Don't want it overlooked an' vulnerable while everyone's distracted."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Go with your father. He needs someone to watch his back right now." Fiona said softly as she pulled on a robe over her nightgown. "I'll go to Kell and I promise that we will get to the bottom of this."

Fiona soon slipped out of the room, falling in step with a guard who had been assigned to her as she made her way down to the dungeon.

 

[KieranSoares]

When Fiona reached the familiar dungeon below the castle that she'd spent a few days in during her time in Royer's hands, there were guards everywhere. The place had been cleaned up and made humane for what prisoners they did have, and unneeded cells acted as secure storage for sensitive information until Soma required them.

Kell had also just arrived after questioning the night staff, and Qira was his silent shadow as ever. Ruari had been placed into a holding cell far from anyone else, but he wasn't chained or bound. He paced nervously, twisting his hands together and looking up each time someone passed his cell.

When Fiona approached, Kell and Qira both turned to regard her with respectful nods. "I assume your kit told you what happened," Kell muttered. "I just finished a quick sweep of my own to identify any other suspects. I only found one other without an alibi, but..." He sighed heavily and glanced toward Ruari. "Ruari was supposed to be in a pair and his partner said he slipped away without warning."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona listened as Kell gave her the rundown of what had happened and what he had learned so far. She couldn't help but nervously rub her hands together, reliving what she had been through just a short time ago. She glanced towards Ruari as he stared back at them. If any of it was true, Valentina and Theo would surely die.

"Let me speak with him first." Fiona asked, looking between Qira and Kell before she was allowed to enter the cell.

As Ruari opened his mouth to speak, Fiona raised her hand and shook her head. "You will do best to not say a word right this moment and listen. You're being seen as a traitor because of the decision that you made this evening. You broke curfew. Alex has trusted you with so much over the years and this is how you will repay him? I will ask you this once, Ruari Irons, and I expect the honest truth for you. I'm perhaps the only one that wil show you mercy this evening. What were you doing out in the gardens?"

 

[KieranSoares]

Ruari's pacing halted as Fiona entered, and he stayed respectfully silent as she laid out exactly the trouble he was in. He took a deep breath once she finished, and he straightened up with a clear look of guilt. "I suppose I can't hide it... But I'm not the one selling secrets. I swear on my mother's soul, I haven't given away anything important about the North. But... I have been doing things behind your backs to try to figure out who is. And I'm worried my cover could be blown."

Ruari stepped forward, but kept a respectful distance still. "Before we went to war with the Empire again, I was working in southern France. I was there holding the line against the plague outbreak coming up from Spain before the Empire surrendered, and I helped Alex spread information about treatments when the surrender was made official. During that time, several of the smaller kingdoms in Spain called for help too. I ended up in Galicia for a while, and I made some friends there. I met a mercenary with a lifelong condition similar to Uncle Brogan's, so ever since, I've been sending him medicine and treatment advice. It was only recently that I learned he works with Stila Oliveras. He's here in Scotland. And we've been meeting up these past few weeks. I give him medicine and false information, and he's been getting comfortable enough to discuss things about our enemies that the North might be able to use. But I swear to you, I have not been giving away secrets."

 

[heartofcourage]

"What's his name?" Fiona asked as Ruari told her that he was working as a double agent to try and help out the family. "The only way to save your skin is to tell me his name."

 

[KieranSoares]

Ruari sighed and nodded, though it was clear he was a bit reluctant to tell. He'd built an actual friendship with the man despite everything. "His name is Alonso Durán. He once said his uncle's name was Arturo, and I think he might've meant Arturo Oliveras. We don't know how he's related to Stila, but we've heard him mentioned alongside her before. If I had to guess, Alonso and Stila might be cousins."

"And you haven't helped us capture this Rider yet... why?" Kell's voice came from the cell door as he stared daggers at Ruari. He wasn't entirely convinced yet.

"Because those Galician Riders are hardened against torture and interrogation," Ruari reasoned. "Not to mention, I believe they're outfitted with suicide pills. Why risk him killing himself or dying in interrogation, when a gentler approach was more likely to yield information? I was waiting to show you once Royer and Oliveras didn't have prisoners from our family anymore to enact revenge on. But Cahal's still out there."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona felt such anger that he thought he could take this on by himself. He had put himself in danger as well as the rest of the Irons family. Fiona rushed him, slamming him against the stone wall as she held him tightly by the front of his shirt. Holding up her palm, she put the ugly scar just inches from his face.

"Is this what you wish to happen to you, Ruari? The end of your career if those hands are messed with like this. This is what will happen to you if you meddle with these people. They will torture you and make you wish for death. They will make you scream for it. The most you could hope for was a few scars and not a debilitating injury."

 

[KieranSoares]

Ruari grunted painfully at Fiona's sudden attack, but even as she warned him of the potential dangers, he stared her down with either stubbornness or bravery. "Better me than someone else," he muttered. "I saw a chance to do what Kell couldn't, and I took it. You of all people have no room to talk when it comes to me putting myself in danger for the sake of our family."

Kell stood silent at the door, not interfering as Fiona tried to talk sense into the younger man. Even so, he knew Ruari had a point despite his own foolish gamble.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona shook her head as she released him and took a step back. "Let him stay here for a while. Alex can deal with him." She murmured, extremely disappointed in Ruari in that moment.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kell opened up the door for Fiona as she stepped away. He made eye contact with Ruari before relocking the door, and he followed Fiona down the hall while Qira remained to gather any more information from Ruari that he could.

"I'll get Alex and tell him what we know," Kell murmured to Fiona as he escorted her. "I believe Ruari, but we need to be certain. And this means there's still someone out there and Ruari's blunder alerted them."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona paused and turned to look at Kell as he spoke his own thoughts out loud. "Schaller and I can go on patrol. This evening if you need. We can see what we might find out."

 

[KieranSoares]

"If you feel up to it, more eyes overhead could help us spot anyone out of place or fleeing." Kell offered her a white armband that the night watch wore alongside their Northern blue. "I'll make sure to keep a close eye on Sam."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona took the armband and looked at it with a sigh. No one wanted her to take to the skies just yet, but she felt like she didn't have a choice. "I'll change into my riding armor and we will be in the sky within the hour. Sam is gone to watch over Soma's things for the moment. Make sure that he gets to bed soon, please."

Within the hour, Fiona was in her leather riding armor, armed with her sword and axe as she made her way out to Schaller. The moment that she saw her dragon, she gave him a slightly guilty look. "We've been called into service, old man."

 

[KieranSoares]

Schaller, curled up once more with Dzana where Fiona had left him that previous afternoon, lifted his head as she approached. Giving a great yawn, he stood with a nod. "Then serve we shall," he rumbled. Glancing back to see Dzana hadn't moved but her eyes staring up at him expectantly, Schaller spared a moment to nuzzle against her maw. "If Samuel's awake, go by the window to Soma's office. Spend some time with him." At a quiet snort from her, Schaller smiled to himself and returned to Fiona. He tilted his unbroken horn down for her and scooped her up without breaking stride on their way to get his saddle. After a moment, he glanced back to see Dzana headed for the castle.

"It will be good to spend time in the sky with you, little Fox, even if it's for the sake of work," Schaller murmured to her gently.

 

[heartofcourage]

“I don’t think any of them expect me to be in the sky this soon. Maybe the element of surprise will help us.” Fiona murmured as Schaller lumbered to where his saddle and tack were stored. “We are looking for a certain rider. It might be serious when we find him but I have hopes that he’ll be…receptive.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know who's on the night shift so he should be easy to spot if he takes to the sky." Schaller easily got the saddle on his back and let her fasten the belts before they took off with unhurried ease. Schaller was purposely acting nonchalant to avoid drawing additional notice.

Once he got up above the city and began to glide, Schaller circled the castle and spiraled outward in a thorough search pattern. As he went, he asked Fiona, "I take it this has to do with our mole problem?"

 

[heartofcourage]

“Do you remember all the times that you wishes you could have wrung Riley’s neck? I feel the same at the moment.” Fiona called over the wind. “A foolish member of this family thought they could take on the mercenaries of Spain because we were not moving fast enough.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"Funny how twenty years has turned us from the fools who'd do exactly that at a moment's notice, to the exasperated keepers trying to keep the young ones in check." Schaller glanced back at her. "Was it Riley, or another young fool?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"Ruari Irons, who I am sure is about to discover a world of conflict with his brother, mother, and father." Fiona said as she thought about how headstrong the young man was. "Sam has said that he has always had something to prove within his own family. He'll have to reckon with this."

 

[KieranSoares]

"He's third in a line of famous doctors. Fourth if you count Alex," Schaller ruminated. "He may be older than Riley and her cousins, but he has grown up surrounded by famous experts in one field or another too. As much as we tell our children that they don't have to try to live up to our reputations, they'll still try. Even Rikke falls into that trap often."