Claymore and Dagger (closed)

Will immediately jumped up to follow her, looking forward to that meal like nothing else ever before. He had no idea the surprise waiting for him afterward.

Gerald and Ria's tavern had kept its popularity, and the couple was still running the place in their mid-fifties with the help of Durban's son Seamus who'd finally found his place there, and Seamus' wife Jeanine.

Fiona entered the tavern and her mouth was watering at the thought of delicious food. She and Will found a table out of the way and she smiled at the lovely dark hair woman with the slight French accent that came to take their order.

Jeanine Ghis was a beautiful woman, petite, dark hair and eyes, and she had her new husband wrapped completely around her finger. It had surprised the entire family when she was able to tame the notoriously stubborn man so quickly. They had been introduced by Seamus's namesake great uncle as he visited the vineyard in southern France and Jeanine had never looked back for a moment.

"Two orders of the special of the day." Fiona said with a smile. "And some bread, please."

It wasn't long before Ria came over too. "Hey, little troublemakers." She knew most of the thieves in the area all too well. Having once been a pirate, she knew all the tricks and signs of a thief. But she was particularly fond of the younger thieves who were still pure of heart, just caught in a bad spot. She had been the saving grace for many a failed attempt at theft, taking responsibility for children and sometimes bailing out teens and young adults, and offering food to the starving. She knew Will and Fiona well.

"I promise we have money, Ria." Fiona said with a smile towards the woman as Jeanine took their order to the bar. "I turned in Morgan this morning and collected the reward."

"That's probably for the best, all things considered." She ruffled Will's shaggy hair. "You're awfully lucky, pup. Not a lot of people like you two share their good fortune." She kissed his cheek and Fiona's before continuing on her way with her usual relaxed ease.

"Why is she so nice to us?" Will asked innocently. He didn't know her story.

"She knows what it's like." Fiona said simply as she looked at Will. "And she knows that if she doesn't care about us, no one will."

"It's hard to imagine she used to be anything like us," he thought aloud. "Everyone likes and trusts her so much... She's related to the Ghis, even."

"You know that Annie Shanendoah is her daughter-in-law." Fiona said as she glanced at Will. "Which is why we are never going to mess with their horses. She is also the sister of the prince and the daughter of the king and his first wife."

"I know. Everyone knows who the Ghis and their relatives are, especially since Sam Ghis is so protective of them all. Not a lot gets by him when it comes to family."

"Sam Ghis is a sour man who will only grow more bitter as he ages." Fiona said as she slumped down slightly in her seat. "Mark my words, Will...he will put me back in prison the first moment that he gets just to prove a point."

"He's not that bad..." Will murmured. "He's just serious about his job. We can't blame him for not trusting us." He then paused before adding, "Sorry. We don't have to talk about him."

"Serious men like that are normally the worst kind." Fiona said as Jeanine brought a loaf of bread and a plate of butter, setting both down for the two to enjoy. "They only see the world in black and white with nothing in between."

"Doesn't he always say it's not his job to judge, just carry out the law?" Will asked. That was Sam's approach to a T. He left matters of pity and judgement to his brother, but he never apologized for doing his job even when it turned out someone had a good reason to defy law.

"But he can't see that people have to do these things to survive. He simply sees a crime being committed." Fiona said as she tore off a hunk of bread and ate hungrily, sighing at the taste of fresh baked bread from the MacNamara bakery.

"He's just doing his job," Will shrugged. "I can't really blame him, just like I don't blame the people who get mad when we take from them. He's protecting them."

When their food arrived, Will dug right in like he hadn't eaten in weeks. That probably wasn't too much of an overstatement all things considered.

"Slow down, Will." Fiona said with a grin as she started to eat her meal as well. "I can get you another if you finish that. Just enjoy it."

Will tried to slow down, but that didn't stop him from finishing long before her. Ria gladly sent along more bread and Will was soon happy with the rare experience of a full belly. He settled into his chair with a sigh, smiling to Fiona. "I still can't believe this all worked out."

Fiona looked across the table at Will and gave him a smile. "It's not over with yet. After this I have somewhere to take you."

"What else were you up to?" He asked her with a raised eyebrow. "You weren't gone that long."

"I guess we'll have to go and see, now won't we?" Fiona said with a sly smile as she stood from her spot and left a healthy amount of gold coin to cover their meal and tip the staff. "Let's get going."

She led him back through the town and to the Shanendoah stables. David exited the house when they entered the small open area, having kept an eye out for them as Annie got the two younger children down for a nap before she started on Danny's lessons for the day.

"Mr. Shanendoah...this is Will. The charger is for him." Fiona said, introducing will to the hulking lumberjack.

"I know you all too well, William," David said crossing his arms, but with an amused smile. "I was missing two horses a while ago, but they came back. That wouldn't have been you, would it? Joyriding again?"

"Not exactly, sir..." Will said shyly, looking down at his ragged shoes.

"Regardless, I hope your friend's generosity will stop that from happening again. Am I right?"

"Yes, sir... I promise I'll take good care of the horse."

"You'd better. And you know, Will... you could've just asked to ride. I would've let you," David chuckled, putting a hand on Will's back and leading them into the barn. Before he showed Will who his horse would be, he picked out some gear that would suit Will, mostly studded and plain but hardy and well-sealed against the Scottish elements. With saddle and bridle set aside for the horse, David opened up a crate of woven saddle blankets. He'd made a good deal with Telma and the weavers from the Gol Dun village to make the tough blankets and other woven gear for the horses in return for leather work and bargains on horses. Will was allowed to pick one out, and he smartly chose a deep dark green blanket with brown designs that looked nice, but wouldn't stand out brightly in the forest if he became a ranger.

Then Will met Volgern. He'd never met this particular horse before, and the two took a long moment to stare until Will had the courage to reach out and stroke Volgern's nose and David put oats in Will's other hand which had the horse warming up to him right away. Bringing the horse out, David showed Will how to secure all the belts and the bridle correctly before he brought them outside and let Will climb up to ride around the corral to get a feel for the long-legged walker.

Fiona watched as Will road the horse around the corral, getting a feel for the large beast. She smiled as she watched him ride smoothly. He was a good kid who needed a chance to make a life for himself. Perhaps all that she was doing for him would give him that chance to do great things.

"He's a natural." Fiona said as she glanced towards David. "It's all that he's talked about for years."

"I wish he would've come sooner. I could've spared him a lot of heartache and starving. It's always been cheap, sometimes free, to join the Invernessian ranks. And now that Ciaran is captain of the foresters, he's been looking for rangers and footmen alike to look after the clan lands. Will has a good future ahead if he just keeps out of trouble."

David then looked to her. "What about you? What're you planning now that you've been pardoned?"

"I don't know." Fiona said with a slight shrug of her slender shoulders. "I don't know that there is anything here for me anymore. All of my family is gone, all of their friends that tried to help me are gone, all that really keeps me here is Will. If he's got his own little life, then there's no need for me to stay anymore."

"Just because he's got a new path doesn't mean he won't need you. Everyone needs someone. There's plenty of jobs open around town and the villages. Hara Aoli's looking for more cooks, the lumber camps in all three places are looking for people to drive the horses that drag the logs... Even Annie's looking for a new stablehand. You've got a lot of options."