Sionnach (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"I have my questions for her as well," William nodded, motioning Riley to an open seat across from him. "I'm curious about how things are going in Trondheim. That's where your family is mostly based still, yes? I'm particularly interested in how your parents and grandparents are doing. To say the isles have missed Brogan and Julia is an understatement... And your father was only a king for a few months before it was all taken away."

 

[heartofcourage]

“My family is worried about the coming war. They don’t want to be dragged into something like this again, but they also know that they have to lead the people that look up to them. My Da has given up leadership completely. He works on his forge every single day and is content to do so. My Ma acts as the queen of the riders and of those from Inverness that still look to them for guidance. Everyone lives quietly, hoping that one day they can go back home if even for a short while.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"Hm... I suppose twenty years after losing everything, one tries not to hope too hard," William sighed. "There was a time, some ten years back, that we attempted to negotiate for the return of Inverness at the very least, but the Council demanded the impossible for it, including the turning over of all defected Riders from the war and your mother, and a trade of the Scottish islands like Mull and Skye for Inverness. Obviously we didn't even entertain that idea. And they probably wouldn't have given Inverness over anyhow..." He shook his head. "Which is why we continued preparing for the day we might be able to take it back. The Queen did not take the news of the loss well when it happened. I don't know if you know the Monaghans' history with the Ghis, but to say the least... we became very close after my mother became Queen."

Riley knew very little about Sarah Monaghan beyond what her grandfather had ever mentioned. He had once been married to Sarah's younger sister, and Annie was their daughter. But Riley knew that Kell's father had murdered the beloved Cassie Ghis, and that was about where the detail ended.

 

[heartofcourage]

“My grandpa simply says that there are some things that are just too painful to talk about.” Riley said as he brought up the Ghis relationship with the royal family of Ireland. “He misses Scotland as much as the rest of us. I think he misses his friendships with people even more.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I can imagine. I met him a few times when I was a boy. He was quite the sight, a giant among men with his brothers. But more than that, his love for his people was undeniable. I've heard that he still does what he can to look after the people who fled to Norway with the family, but I imagine there were so many and so much left behind that he probably hasn't been the same since..." William glanced down at the papers before him. "But you were born just after it all ended. I hope you get to be there if or when your family steps foot back in Inverness again... it was a haven for all people. It was never perfect, but it was as close as we could find. And even if I never lived there, I miss it deeply."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Trondheim is the same, but it doesn’t compare to home in their eyes.” Riley said as she got new insight into her family’s former place in life. “But My Da insists that it was a long time ago and we should focus on what we have now. My ma immediately corrects him and says that one day it will all happen.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"That certainly sounds like Fiona Blackstone. She spent the entire war insisting we could win. And she's spent the past twenty years insisting we can retake the isles. Samuel... I don't know if he ever believed we could've won, but he didn't give up til it was all gone."

 

[heartofcourage]

“My Ma will be the woman to win this war one day.” Riley said, a bit of pride in her voice. “My Da will support her in any way that he can. She proved that she could take on an emperor and she hasn’t bowed since.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"You're right to support her, but keep in mind that she's still just one person. One soul does not win a war. We need many people willing to fight and die, and resources to support them. And, because it seems your family decided not to lay down and take the Empire's abuse anymore and you rescued Miss Halfborn, it's time we start getting ready for a fight that's been on its way back for a long, long time. So when you do head home, I'll be sending some sensitive information with you to let your family know what Ireland has to offer and show them we're ready to fight. I hope you are ready for the reality of war as well, Lady Ghis. You're young, but clearly willing and, if Halfborn's rescue is anything to go by, very able."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I wish I had been told about my family history much sooner than I was, but none of that changes the fact that these are people that I would die for." Riley said, putting to words for the first time that she was willing to fight to the death for her clan.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Just be careful you don't go running into death and glory. You're worth much more to everyone alive. That is why we all finally fled Inverness in the end- those we had left were better alive to fight another day, rather than dead and gone forever."

William then stood. "And I have something you ought to take home with you when you go... Something your grandfather would like to see returned to it's family. We only just secured it from a friend of ours who did some business in Inverness last year. He managed to buy it off the local governor."

William walked to the end of the table where a large wooden case lay, nearly seven feet long and half a foot thick. Sliding it down toward Riley, he took out a keyring and unlocked the two latches on the box. Opening it up, the inside was carefully padded with wool-stuffed velvet, and one long object was wrapped in cloth. William carefully pulled the cloth back, revealing a sword that, even if Riley had never seen it in person, she knew exactly who it had belonged to.

After twenty years of no use and little care, splotches of rust shone in the blade along the blood channel and hilt. The handle's leather wrapping was falling apart, and there were several much older chips and dents in the blade. But beyond its age, Riley could identify it from the hilt. It was a simple bar hilt at first glance, with a heavy weight in the pommel and rounded hilt ends, but the bar and the blood channel were inscribed with ancient Gaelic
and Norse runes and at the very base of the blade was a Ghis Bear roaring to the heavens. This was the Claymore of Tamblin Courser Ghis the Second, the Mad King of Inverness and father to the Great Bear himself as he was called by the Empire since the war, Brogan Ghis.

"I think it needs to be in a Ghis's hands again. If I recall my history correctly, it was forged by Ingvar Ghis and passed down father to child when the father died. It still belongs to Brogan, and may one day be Samuel's, and perhaps yours."

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley stared at the box as it was open, taken back at the Irish royal family had bought her family's ancestral sword. She had never known that the old claymore still survived, nor did she really know much about Tamblin Ghis beyond what her father had taught her in history lessons. She did know that this would be a well received gift that she would bring back to Norway.

"I'm sure my grandpa will be happy to see this returned." Riley said as she stood rooted to her spot, almost afraid to approach the claymore and touch it. "My Da has his own and in this family we only get a claymore when we're deemed worthy."

 

[KieranSoares]

"We know the customs of your family well, dear. Which was how we knew this was so important." He glanced at her as she hesitated and he offered a gruff smile. "Don't be too intimidated by it, young Ghis. This is a piece of your family. Some warriors among the Ghis saw their blades as equally important as their warhorse, or their hounds, possibly even more. But it's still a Ghis sword, forged, tested, and cared for by your bloodline for generations."

William turned the case to face her so she could look all she liked. "I'll have it moved to the guest room for you later, and then whenever you decide to go, we'll make sure it's secure on your saddle."

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley gave him a nod, thanking him quietly as he told her that he would have the sword moved to her room and then placed on her saddle when they left for Trondheim. It seemed that while they made a life in Trondheim and beyond, the rest of the world hadn't forgotten about her family and the impact that they had made on the lives of so many.

After leaving William to his paperwork, Riley wandered around the castle, looking at old paintings of the Irish royals. She found Sarah when she was younger, probably around the time that she had become Queen of Ireland. She also found Sarah's husband, Ian. So much time had passed since her family had left Scotland that she wondered if it was worth going back.

In her journey around the castle, she formed a plan. A way to tell just how much Scotland meant to her family. She found Joachim and Andre as the camp began to wind down, dragons and riders settling in for the night.

"I want to go to Inverness." Riley told the two of them. "On the way home."

 

[KieranSoares]

Both young men looked up with clear concern as Riley approached with her declaration. But it was Joachim who spoke up, setting aside a piece of wood he'd been whittling. "I don't think that would be a good idea, Riley... We're already risking enough being near Scotland at all with a rescued prisoner and an entire battalion of traitors."

"There are no free werefolk there anymore, save a few the Empire would call 'ferals' that hunt the forests," Andre added quietly. "But we could make it work." Joachim's gaze turned to his comrade, his brows stitching in worry.

"Andre..."

"Everyone deserves a chance to see their homeland and know their history. As long as we don't go announcing who we are and we stay together, she'll be fine."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Specifically the tree on the cliff.” Riley said as Joachim instantly told her no and Andre kept that hope alive. “No one has to know who I am, but I need to get to that tree. I don’t care about the keep or the town.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I don't know what you're referring to... but at least it's not in town. I think we can manage that," Joachim nodded. "But if someone comes to confront us, we will have to leave before they figure us out."

"We'll be fine," Andre murmured. "Our people in Scotland won't have heard of what we did yet. I'll use what sway I have if need be to keep us safe."

 

[heartofcourage]

“If you don’t want to go, you can go straight to Trondheim. Andre and I can handle ourselves.” Riley said as Joachim seemed uncomfortable with the idea of going to Scotland. “We might even saunter into the keep and cause some trouble just to prove a point.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"The thing I'm most worried about is the Scots who still live there who might recognize a Ghis and make a scene," Joachim murmured. "And just for saying that, of course I'm not letting you two go alone."

 

[heartofcourage]

“No one in Inverness would even know who I am. It isn’t like I look like my Ma or Da being a fox.” She said as Joachim declared that he would be going with them. “What if we don’t want you to? You’ll just be a wet blanket.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'd rather I be there and you be angry about it, instead of you two being on your own and regretting it if something happens," Joachim told her sternly. "I made a promise to your parents that I'd see you home safely. And if it's all the same to you, I'd rather not give your mother one more reason to take my head from my shoulders."

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley’s ears folded back instantly as Joachim mentions her Ma taking his head. “She’s not a monster.” She said softly, almost as if she were trying to convince him all over again that her Ma wasn’t the scary nightmare that most children in the Empire had grown up hearing about.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I didn't say she was. But she's still a mother and I do not trifle with women protective of their children. She would be the same whether she was Fiona Blackstone or a common woman, protecting her child. And she'd be right to if I let you get yourself killed over something preventable."

 

[heartofcourage]

“If I were my little sister and wanting to put myself in danger, she most definitely would tear you apart. She lets me do what I need to do.” Riley said. “I wouldn’t worry about my Ma.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I will always be wary of the wrath of mothers," Joachim looked back to the fire with s long sigh. "I'm curious about this tree, though. It's clearly more important to you than anything else."