The North (Closed)

[heartofcourage]

Riley sat up in bed as Andre left the room, her ears perking as she heard Alex in the other room. She was up in an instant when she heard him say that there might be something that could help her mother. She was struggling into trousers when Andre entered the room.

"Did I hear him right? He thinks he has a solution?" Riley asked as she hurriedly stuffed her tunic into her trousers, looping her belt tightly around her waist.

 

[KieranSoares]

Andre grabbed a shirt and stepped into his boots the instant he returned, fastening his belt and pulling his hair back. "It sounds like Vincenzo might've left us a hint," he murmured to Riley. He knew the family stories and how deeply they'd loved Vincenzo. But more than that, he knew of Vincenzo's reputation. Growing up in Greece, Andre had certainly heard of him even before knowing of the Ghis Clan.

Once they were ready, Andre followed Riley's lead to the private dining room. It was in the same hall as the royal chambers, serving mostly as a place for the queen to host private meetings or take time alone with her inner circle. When the pair arrived, they found Alex laying out his notes around an old journal from Vincenzo's time. The leather cover was decorated with a beautiful map of the Adriatic Sea and its surrounding countries.

When Markos arrived, he carried a book of his own with a plain leather cover. Serious but visibly worried, Alex met Riley and Andre with a grave frown.

"We're entering territory that I'm extremely skeptical of," he admitted to them as he opened his grandfather's journal. "Vincenzo Ambrose was a doctor and a scientist and he never put any stock in superstition or children's stories. But as we were searching for possible solutions, I remembered my grandfather mentioning something about a blood sickness in the Byzantine Empire. I figured it was a long shot, but I dug through his journals and found this."

Alex flipped to a page with a drawing of a person with solid black eyes and black veins spiderwebbing up their arm. The notes were in Italian, so Alex translated: "'Rare blood disease in Byzantium, method of infection unknown. Locals treat victims similarly to plague victims: avoidance, quarantining, or even execution. Locals say it's nearly incurable, but point to witchcraft or 'Arbiters' for help. Possible organization of traditional healers? Disease appears similar to blood poisoning, but appears to also effect bones and joints. Symptoms: blackened eyes, blackened veins, extreme and deep pain, depression, episodes of rage. With no cure known to local doctors, patients typically last 1-2 months post-diagnosis. Patients who visited these 'Arbiters' recovered within six weeks, but could not explain how they were cured."

Alex sat back and took a deep breath after reading. "I know that doesn't sound very hopeful... But we know my grandfather saw this disease personally in his time in Byzantium, and that there were people who survived it. From working with Fiona, I know 'Arbiter' is an old term for Callers who once fought and slew dragons. So if we're going to find a cure, a Byzantine Caller is our best bet. And Markos says he knows of one."

"Possibly," Markos corrected. "I don't know if they're still alive, but I know where they'll be if they are." He opened up his own book to an entry in Greek. "Valens Maurus. His family's Elder Dragon was known as Caspian, named for the sea she ruled in her time before the Maurus Arbiters stole her power and slew her. If Valens is still around, or his children, we may have a connection to the knowledge these Arbiters had about the sickness."

 

[heartofcourage]

"She has all the symptoms but the blackened veins." Riley murmured, her heart racing at the news that there might be a cure for her Ma, but fear that they were too late. "Uka has always said that we are arbiters. He started out as one when he was younger. Maybe in his travels he met someone that knows anything."

Riley steeled herself as she glanced between Alex and Markos. "If this doesn't work or she doesn't have much time, I should call Tati here. I should call them all here. I just need someone to be honest with me."

 

[KieranSoares]

"The truth is, we don't know how much time we might have," Alex told her, glancing back down at the journal. "If we consider what little we do know, and the advancement of medicine since my grandfather's time... I think I can keep her going at least a month. But the question is whether she can mentally handle that. If I treat the pain to the extent she needs, she won't be lucid for days at a time. Considering the suffering she's going through, though... That might be our best option. A near-coma and constant care, for lack of a better description."

"I don't think she'd allow that," Andre murmured. "She's always fought to keep her faculties no matter how badly she's hurting."

"Her faculties are infected with... I don't even know what the hell this is, Andre. In my professional opinion, her survival and recovery is far more important. But I won't go ahead with anything without Sam's approval. He has final say when it comes to her health." Alex sighed heavily. "I don't know what we're doing. Mental illness and disease are one thing. But this... This is outside the realm of science and medicine. I'll use any trick I can, but it's clear a non-Caller healer can't do much alone."

"I believe we can find help," Markos murmured, much more serious and focused than usual. "If not a descendant of Arbiters, maybe a Byzantine dragon who can point us in the right direction." He looked to Riley. "I can write out directions and mark out a map for you. I don't know who will be going to Byzantium, but you'll need a Greek translator."

"I can handle that if you want to go, Ri," Andre offered. "Or I can go with whoever you want to send, if you want to stay with your Ma."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I...I don't...know..." Riley said softly, considering if she left the Northern Riders in the hands of Lucas, Jani, and Dani that things would be the same when she came back.

A soft, urgent knock came to the door and Yasmine soon entered. "I'm afraid that you all are needed in Sam and Fiona's quarters...now."

Riley pushed herself to her feet and led the way, hearing the loud yelling that was coming from their rooms before they entered. Fiona was in a fury, her eyes completely black as she tried her hardest to get her hands on Sam. She growled and cursed and screamed at him, having backed him into a chair with his ruined knee. The only thing stopping her from harm was the tight grip he had on her wrists, her fingers curled as she struggled to free herself.

"Fuck you!" Fiona spat, growling loudly again as she bucked backwards and sought to rip her wrists free from her husband's grasp. "Let me go."

"Ma." Riley murmured, shocked that she was witnessing her mother lose all her faculties.

 

[KieranSoares]

If Sam was afraid or unsettled, he hid it behind a focused, intensely stoic frown as he held his wife at bay. But with no way to hold his ground thanks to his ruined and aching leg, all he could do was hold Fiona at arm's length. "I'll let you go when you stop screeching like a banshee," he growled firmly. He knew he wasn't dealing with his wife at the moment. Glancing toward the door when it opened, Sam made eye-contact with Riley and Andre. He didn't want them to see Fiona like this, but he knew he couldn't handle her alone forever.

Unable to balance and get back up on his good leg, Sam instead tugged Fiona in and tried to get her in a headlock. Andre stepped in, only for both he and Riley to feel an absolute mental wall come up in front of them, strong and solid but raw. Sam was blocking everyone from Fiona now that she wasn't in her right mind to do it herself. "Don't connect with her," Sam warned with a snarl. "Just help me hold her still so Yasmine can knock her out!"

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona trashed and fought against her husband, snarling like a wild animal as he pulled her close and tried to wrap her up tightly.

“I’ll fucking kill you.” She screeched as bucked and scratched, doing everything in her power to get out of Sam’s grasp.

Riley came forward with Andre to help, shocked that Fiona was this violent, especially towards Sam. She looped her arms through her mother’s elbows, taking control of her upper body to give her father a chance.

An inhuman scream came from Fiona as she was restrained, her eyes dark and wild as Yasmine worked quickly with Alex to mix up a medication to sedate her.

"I will rip each of you apart. Let me go to my dragon and be free of all of you wretched beasts." Fiona growled, panting with effort as she fought against her family. "Or I'll infect each of you and let you join in the madness."

 

[KieranSoares]

Once Sam had a little leverage again, his immense strength came out in surging forward to pin Fiona to the wall with an arm twisted behind her back. For a moment, Sam was his younger self again, apprehending a dangerous fugitive. He knew he couldn't be precious with her. She wasn't his Fiona at that moment.

"You'll have to go through me first," he muttered to whatever it was that had taken over his wife, panting heavily after the scuffle. Glancing back as Andre and Riley helped hold Fiona still, Sam watched impatiently as Alex and Yasmine finished concocting a sedative from what they'd had on hand.

"Hold her head still," Alex instructed them while he pulled on a thick pair of gloves. He knew there was a risk of being bitten and he didn't want to take any chances.

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley grabbed her mother’s hair by the root, positioning her so that Alex could work quickly. Fiona screamed at the top of her lungs as her jaws were pried open and Yasmine poured the mixture into her mouth. She spat and sputtered, her body so tense and breathing so erratic that Riley feared she’s stop all together.

Yasmine didn’t stop. She redoubled again to pour as much as she could into Fiona even though it was coming back just as quickly. It was a tense wait as they all held their breath.

Fiona raged, unable to harm anyone else in the room. She began bashing her head against the wall, blood streaming down her forehead as her motions started to slow and become uncoordinated.

“Sam…” She whispered in a pitiful voice, the reptilian black in her eyes receding just enough to see her clear blue again.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam didn't dare loosen his grip on her arm, leaning his full weight into Fiona to keep her still so she couldn't hurt anyone else. But with his other hand, he gently pulled Fiona's head back against his shoulder once she slowed. "I've got you," he whispered in Erygonian to her as her body began to sag. "I've got you, love...

Sam didn't let her collapse or slide down. He held her in place waiting to be certain she wouldn't lash out again. He knew she'd never forgive herself if she hurt one of them. His presence- massive and unwieldy as it still was- still stood between her and everyone else despite the danger to himself. When he was sure she was too weak to hurt him, he finally let the others move in to get Fiona to bed. His leg ached horribly, but he was too focused on his wife to care.

"Alex," Sam murmured softly when things were quiet. He leaned against the wall, staring blankly at the bloodstain beside him. "I don't care what it costs... I don't care who we have to beg, steal from, or bloody kill. I'll dig up another fucking Caller from half a millennium ago if I have to. Just... gods, please fix this. Whatever it takes."

"We're about to pursue the best lead we have," Alex murmured, maintaining a calm exterior despite how absolutely horrifying the last minutes had been. But the racing of his heart and the slight tremble of his hands couldn't be stopped. He was completely out of his depth dealing with something beyond mental illness and disease. "It's just a matter of who will go... And if they can get back fast enough."

"I don't care about the details." Sam growled, lumbering to his chair and dropping his head into his hands once he sat down. "Just... Fix it."

 

[heartofcourage]

Yasmine quietly reentered the room a few moments later, wiping her hands on a clean towel and taking a moment to adjust her headscarf. "She's asleep. Her head is a small wound. It didn't even require stitches. She'll be bruised and probably hurt for a few days. There's no sign of a concussion, but just to be safe we'll monitor her."

She was quiet for a moment before she met Sam's gaze. "I know you didn't want us to restrain her, but I don't see much of a choice at the moment. She's a danger to everyone, including herself. I'm sorry, Sam. It'll be temporary."

Riley stood at her mother's bedside, staring down at the pathetic figure that Fiona presented. She carefully tucked her grandmother's blanket around Fiona's form, hiding the restraints at her wrists that Yasmine had placed. Fiona lay listless, head turned to stare at the wall with heavily lidded eyes. She wasn't asleep, but she wasn't talking.

"Koah?" Riley said softly. "I think we both know that we have to go."

 

[KieranSoares]

Andre stood off to the side with a dark, haunted look in his eyes. When Riley spoke up, he nodded without hesitation. "I'll pack," he murmured, looking at Fiona one last time before he headed back to their room.

After taking a moment to settle his own nerves, Alex joined Yasmine's side, thanking her quietly for her work. Turning to Riley, he murmured, "Markos can direct you to wherever this Byzantine Caller should be. We either need them to come to us here, or we need detailed instructions on a cure. But you two need to be careful. The Byzantines are the successors to the Roman Empire, one of the most prolific slave-trading nations in history. Get in and get out as quietly as possible."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You would be safe with the caliphate. You should seek out my uncle's family." Yasmine offered as Riley considered what they were saying.

"If she gets worse, you need to call for Tati." Riley said as she looked to her father. "She deserves the chance to say goodbye."

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam sat listless staring at the floor, his head still in his hands. Tiny droplets fell to the stone tile occasionally. He couldn't help weeping over his wife's terrible fate, even if every fiber of his being refused to believe this would be her end. When Riley spoke to him, he gave a small nod of agreement.

"Please go, little kit," Sam whispered to her. Lifting his head slightly, she could see his heart was broken behind those emerald eyes. "I love you."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Leave us for a moment." Riley said as she glanced over at Alex and Yasmine.

Yasmine led her husband from the room and once the door was closed, Riley regarded her father for a long moment. "You don't have time for tears." She said softly, her arms crossing over her chest. "As cruel as this will sound, you cannot mourn right now. There is still a war going on and Soma needs you to be strong. He needs you to be able to support both he and Ma, even if he won't say it. He is to Ma what I am to you. I love you dearly, Da, but I need you to gather yourself."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know," Sam murmured, shaking his head slowly. "I know... I just... I need a moment."

As a younger man, Sam would've hidden away to get his head on straight. Or, he might've thrown himself into training til he couldn't think at all in his exhaustion. But he didn't try to get away in that moment. Nothing in the world could make him leave Fiona's side. Instead, he took a few deep breaths and swiped away his tears. His breathing still hitched and his eyes were full of pain, but he was slowly rallying.

"I won't fall apart. Not yet," Sam promised quietly. "No bloody time for that..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"No bloody time." Riley said as she leaned in and kissed his cheek, wrapping her arms around him for a moment of comfort. "I'll come back and we will fix this. You just have to hang on a while longer."

Kissing his cheek one last time, she left him to go and prepare. Riley felt as if she were going to war. It wasn't far from the truth. Going into a hostile area where slaving was still a way of life she was in danger.

 

[KieranSoares]

Within the hour, Andre had loaded up their essentials and a simple camp kit, leaving their ger behind with the rest of their belongings. If he knew them, they'd go nonstop. Both their partners could sleep in flight with the other watching over them, and Riley and Andre were no strangers to long periods in the saddle.

Marth and Rikke came to meet them in the courtyard, their saddles fetched and ready to be buckled on. When Riley came out, she found her husband securing their belongings to the saddles and Soma there waiting for her with a dark, focused frown on his face. He looked disturbed and pensive. He'd surely been told what was going on, and he was on his own mission.

 

[heartofcourage]

Riley was pulling on her riding gloves as she stepped into the courtyard, pausing when she saw Soma. Her brother was like a dark cloud, so unlike the cheerful soul that he typically was. She sighed and came to his side, wrapping her arm around his waist as she couldn't reach his shoulders any longer.

"She would want to see you, little mite. Even if she doesn't know it." Riley said softly. "I know it's painful, but they both need you."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'll take care of them while you're gone," Soma promised without missing a beat, wrapping his arm around her in turn and burying his face against her shoulder. He was becoming a giant like the Ghis men before him but he was still a worried, scared young boy. "I'll keep reminding her why she can't give up yet," he added softly, his voice wavering but his determination unbroken.

Taking a deep breath, Soma pulled back and met his sister's eyes. "I'm going to send word to Uncle Rhett about what's happening. They should at least know in case we need to bring Tati here."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I told Da the same, but I don't think he's in his right mind to make that order if the time is right." Riley said softly as Soma mentioned their sister. "We have to make decisions that we don't feel ready for, Soma. I swear to you that Andre and I will come back, and I swear that we will heal her."

She pressed her forehead against her brother's, closing her eyes and sighing. "No matter what happens, I'm here for you. We will always have each other."

 

[KieranSoares]

"No matter what," Soma repeated, giving his own promise in return as they shared that quiet moment. Closing his eyes, Soma centered himself on that promise. He was once again stepping into a mantle he never expected to shoulder: the rock of his family. With their parents unable, Riley going away to seek a cure, and Kate wrapped up in trying to stitch together a fractured and struggling queendom, Soma committed himself in that moment to being a temporary patriarch.

"The Ghis Clan will come out the other side of this," Soma declared quietly, but there was immense power behind his words. Despite his recent exhaustion, he radiated determination. "We feel weak and broken now, but we're strong enough to survive til peacetime. And I'll get us there no matter what," he promised, his voice full of quiet fire. It was like hearing Sam or Fiona speak to their officers before a battle.

Seeing Andre finish packing and awaiting them, Soma hugged Riley one last time and pulled back. "You've got this, little guy," Andre assured him, though Soma was taller than him now. "We can make it to Byzantium in a few days if we go nonstop as the crow flies. I'm hoping we can get back in less than ten days if we can find who we're looking for quickly."

"Offer them anything and everything," Soma advised. "Arslan Khan brought us a mountain of gold. I'm sure Kate would gladly give it up to save the North's Rider Queen and protect her Callers against this sickness. Whatever it takes."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Someone will come back in ten days, no matter what. I won't keep the family waiting for answers." Riley said softly as Soma gave them permission to spend as much gold on the matter as they wanted. "And she'll hold on. She's probably the most stubborn creature this illness has ever infected."

Riley let out a long sigh and stared at her brother for a moment before she gave him a short nod and turned to mount Marth. "And get Schaller back soon. He can help to keep her grounded."

Once Riley was buckled into her harness, she gave Marth his leave to fly. There was no need to wait for Andre. He would follow shortly.

 

[KieranSoares]

Marth was first into the sky, quiet and pensive over the potential of another loss but holding firm in Riley's belief that Fiona could make it. Rikke and Andre joined a moment later. With his familiarity with Europe from his time in the Imperial military, Andre was their navigator and Rikke a careful watcher for potential threats. They would be safe for the most part passing over the Holy Roman Empire, but beyond that, they were in slaver territory for werefolk and dragons alike. Soma was left watching them disappear into the southern sky, til he finally turned and silently went to join his parents. Even if he could do little more than be by their sides, he would do everything in his power.

The next day, things were quiet. All was tense and ready, but mercifully still. With Arturo Oliveras in Northern custody, the Galician mercenaries hadn't struck. But with Cahal still in Clan Royer's hands and Schaller still gone, there was no guarantee Cahal would survive yet. The following day was much the same: tense, quiet, and no news. With Fiona sedated much of the time and Sam silently keeping watch at her side, Soma had returned to upholding the mantle of Commander with aid from his aunt and uncle, the Queen and Lord Protector. But with no battle to fight and too many mouths to feed, Soma had put the idle soldiers to work helping farmers plant and expand their fields. Food was growing more scarce, but Soma hoped if they survived the spring, they'd have a big early harvest and an even bigger autumn harvest to get everyone through winter. It would work if they could just hold on and ration properly. With some excess coming from Scandinavia in the form of smoked and preserved meat and plenty of hardy root vegetables, it wasn't looking so impossible anymore.

On the evening of the second day after Andre and Riley had gone, some good news came to Kate: Abel was beginning to get some strength back. With all his focus on Fiona, Alex had put Abel into the gentle and sure hands of Dola. Doctors and nurses still monitored him, but Dola had taken over the difficult job of coaxing him back to life. After his mistreatment by the North's enemies along with his already fragile health, Abel was already hovering at a dangerous low. He had been certain his brother was lost for good when Qira and Shani had been unable to find him too, knowing Royer might retaliate against Kate by killing her uncle. But Dola had convinced him to have hope. Cahal was alive so long as Arturo Oliveras was in Northern hands, and Royer wasn't dumb enough to throw away a valuable bargaining chip.

The third day, Dola's assurances proved true. It was early morning and the sky was just starting to turn blue-grey in the hour before dawn. Kate had fallen asleep in the private parlor she and Kell shared with their partners that night. When she was gently awoken by a hand on her arm, she was in Qira and Rissa's bed. The two were curled up on either side of her, having brought her to bed with them while Kell was working late. Unsurprisingly, Qira was awake. Even Kell couldn't sneak in without him noticing. Kell, still fully dressed and looking exhausted, was leaned over him to reach Kate.

"Love," Kell murmured softly, hoping not to disturb Rissa. "Come down. Schaller's been spotted. He'll be landing in a couple minutes."

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate woke with a start as Kell shook her gently. Swiping back her mess of red curls, she gave him a nod and gently crawled over Qira to dress. Sleep had been hard fought for all of them since taking back Scotland. She had endless meetings with lairds and ladies, trying to gain any kind of knowledge about the state of the country as a whole. Even though they had support from the English, she knew that they had to support themselves quickly. They couldn't depend on kindness from other leaders forever.

Pulling on her trousers and buckling her leather belt, Kate paused a moment and turned to look at her husband. "Send a message quickly to any that are meeting with Lord Schaller. I'll be the one to tell him about Fiona."