Claymore and Dagger (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"Invah, what if my grandfather doesn't want to see me?" Fiona asked, all of her former insecurities coming back after her confrontation with Sam. "I mean, Sam didn't even want to talk to me after what I did."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I don't think a man worth knowing will cast out his granddaughter in punishment for things her parents did," Invah mused. "If he doesn't want to see you... Then I don't think you'd want.to see him anyway. And you have more family than just him, surely."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I have a grandmother. And uncles. Cousins by now too, I suppose." Fiona mused, thinking about the family that she was about to gain. "My Ma was the baby. The only girl."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Then I'm sure you have quite the range of family. You may well find a few who hold your parents against you... There's a few like that in every family. But anyone worth keeping close will welcome you. You are not responsible for the actions of your predecessors."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I wish Sam were here." Fiona admitted softly, more tears coming to her eyes at the thought of Sam. "He made me feel brave."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Oh, little one..." Invah murmured, but there was little she could offer in comfort beyond what she already had. "Maybe by the time we return, he'll have worked out that temper of his. Time is all he needs."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Invah, he caught me with another man. I don't think that will be so easily forgiven." Fiona admitted as Invah tried to soothe her fears. "He's a prince. I'm nothing special. I knew that there was always the possibility that we wouldn't work out in the end. I just...I never thought that it would end like this."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Don't give up so easily, little kit. Prince or no, Samuel is still a man with a heart. If he didn't love you, his heart wouldn't have been broken. And in time, he will remember he loves you. When he can do that, you may find a chance to finally explain. Whether or not he understands... No one can predict that. But you must try, or regret never trying at all."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I shouldn't have hoped." Fiona murmured, not even wanting to listen just yet to Invah's wise words on her relationship with Sam. "Good things don't happen to Blackstones."

 

[KieranSoares]

"But good things certainly never happen to those who don't try," Invah reminded her, but let it drop there. Eventually she took to the skies again. Thanks to the foresight of the Ghis and their allies, a warning had been spread across Scandinavia about dragons traveling through the countries and that they were harmless, so Invah didn't have to try to hide, though she kept up rather high just in case.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona dozed a little longer after she finally brought herself to eat something. When she woke again, everything was just a little bit cooler. She pulled on her woolen leggings and a thick scarf and wrapped her cloak a little tighter around her shoulders.

"Are we going to look for your husband first?" She asked as she saw mountains for the first time, snow capped peaks greeting them.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Last I was in Sweden, my family lived in the northern central mountains. Your family's tribe is some ways from Malmo. And it's going to be cold, so I'd like to get you to your family first and be ready to face the mountains."

Though there were mountains far to the northwest of Inverness, the most Fiona had ever seen of them was a distant hazy vision on the horizon. Coming into Norway and toward Sweden, they were sticking to the outer edges of the mountains, the forests and foothills far below as dawn began to break.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona watched as the scenery beneath them began to change. There was a thick layer of snow on the ground, growing thicker as they made their way towards the mountains. Animals beneath them were busy, running through the fallen snow and signifying that it was very likely the first big snowfall of the season. The thought that she was so close to her family terrified Fiona and she found herself beginning to shake, not from the cold but from nerves.

 

[KieranSoares]

It would take Invah another day to cross Norway and into Sweden at her speed, but she did pause in some foothills far from civilization to get Fiona warm by a fire, and to hunt down a meal. For Fiona, she brought rabbits. Fiona never saw what Invah ate, but she could safely assume Invah had hunted down a deer. As they settled by a fire made up of a pile of branches Invah had gathered and set alight, Invah raked the coals with her claws now and then, nestled around the fire quite comfortably even as flames licked at her scales but would not char them. She protected both the fire and Fiona from the high winds with a wing, letting Fiona settle in her arms to avoid the cold ground.

"It's been so long since I've done this... In fact, I think the last time was my youngest fledgling's first long flight. We'd curl up in the evenings in a huge nest of coals and she'd fall asleep in minutes, exhausted from the journey and strengthening her wings," Invah murmured as her eyes focused in the fire, almost imagining that the memories were real again. "Even though she was our third fledgling, my mate was still ever the worried father. He spent the nights getting up every few hours to add to the coals, making sure we were warm even though I had my own flame, and Deya had begun to get her own."

Invah drew Fiona a little closer. "You remind me more of my first, though. Mian was always independent until her little brother came along, and then she made sure to teach him how to be the same. She was my explorer and the most at home in the wild."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona had changed into her thick winter dress during the stop, nestled warmly in Invah's arms as the dragon talked about her family. It wasn't hard to think that Invah was her mother. She treated her with kindness and affection, protecting her from the cold wind that had picked up during their travels. It was nice to have someone who cared so much.

"My grandpa was the same way. When I was little, he would steal me away to camp at the loch. Even though I was old enough to do a lot of things on my own, he insisted that he was going to do them for me." Fiona said with a soft smile. "Even when I was too big to carry, he would carry me to bed and tuck me in with a story that he had just made up. Most of the time it was about a little black fox named Shoal who got into all kind of adventures."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I think I would've enjoyed knowing a man like Ephriam," Invah murmured and nuzzled Fiona gently. "I have a lot to thank him for, both for you and for the lovely things he added to my legend while I slept."

A sound in the distance made Invah lift her head to the sky. It sounded almost like thunder, but the night was clear. It was a roaring beast. "Well... if I had any doubts before, I certainly know we're in dragon country now," Invah said with a soft chuckle.

 

[heartofcourage]

"His mind was amazing. He was kind and loving and as smart as anyone I've ever met before. My Da had his sharpness but he never did anything on the level of my grandpa." Fiona said as Invah looked towards the deep thundering sounds that suddenly broke across the quiet mountains. "Your relations?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"Yes... my older brother. I'm surprised Andvir is still around these parts. When I left, he was considering leaving Europe altogether." Invah then let a wisp of blue flame out into the sky, and off in the far distance, they both saw a bright green speck of a flame. "I do believe we're going to have a visitor."

In minutes, the sound of massive wings reached them and the powerful figure of a western dragon touched down in the valley below. He came up the foothills and paused finally as the light of the fire barely touched his face.

"Invah," the deep, thunderous voice rumbled. Deep gray-green scales and sharp steely eyes looked upon them with some surprise and curiosity. "You've finally come back."

"I did say that I would, didn't I? Even if I'm late," Invah told him with a smile, and the two greeted each other properly with a fond nuzzle as Andvir wrapped an arm around his sister. When he came close enough, Fiona could see similar patterns in Andvir's scales, and that he had the same dark mane as Invah ridging his spine.

"It's been too long," he sighed, letting his head rest against Invah's. "I had decided to stay and look after your family until you returned, but when you didn't come back in the time we expected... I ended up finding myself a place with the nearby Lunars."

"And with a mate, I can see," Invah teased, lifting a hand to touch the base of his neck. Dragons tended to mark their mates as well, usually in the form of a few missing scales on the neck. "Any fledglings for me to spoil?"

"Not hatched yet," Andvir smiled down at her, and then he saw Fiona. "A human...? Who is this?"

"This is Fiona Blackstone," Invah introduced her fondly. "She may as well be your youngest niece."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm afraid that I'm the one who woke her up." Fiona said as she was introduced to Invah's brother. "She had been disturbing the peace for years. I was finally asked to speak to her."

Fiona was only teasing. It was the first time she had tried to make a joke since the falling out with Sam. It didn't mean that she couldn't be cordial to the other dragon.

 

[KieranSoares]

Andvir smiled kindly down at Fiona and settled beside them. "Ah, a dragon-caller. It's been a long time since I've met one of your kind."

"Not since Yalen, I believe," Invah commented, making her brother chuckle.

"That young fool was less of a dragon-caller and more of a dragon-taunter. But he became a fine warrior and one of the best riders I've ever worked with. And his descendants carry on the tradition of bothering our family for fun."

"Speaking of which..." Invah began quietly, a bit afraid to ask her question, but Andvir knew right away.

"Gaiann is waiting for you," Andvir told her, and Invah's entire form relaxed and she hugged Fiona a little closer. "And so is a little fledgling named Orden. Your oldest girl came home about a year ago with him. No mate, as per her own preference, but the boy was exactly what Gaiann needed when he woke."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I believe my da was one too. He used to travel all over Europe but he never said what he was doing while he was gone." Fiona said as the dragons spoke about the last dragon caller they had known. "Grandpa always said the black stone from the legend is how we got our last name. We came from Egypt before that."

She smiled as Invah was told that her mate was alright. "See, Invah. You didn't even need me to come along with you. He was perfectly fine."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I did need you, if only for someone to share my worries with," Invah murmured, hugging Fiona closer. When she looked back at Andvir, she asked, "How long has Gaiann been awake?"

"Barely six months. He slept through whatever sickness caught up with him, it seems. He was a bit slow for a week, but now he's back to his usual grumping about."

"That's certainly my Gaiann... I will be coming home soon, brother. But I need to see this little one to her family as well."

"We're dragons, Invah. We have all the time in the world."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Invah, I can handle my family on my own. Once we find them, you don't need to stay." Fiona said, knowing that the dragon was eager to see her mate and get to know the newest members of her family. "I promise. I'll be alright."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm staying with you, my love. After all, I want to make sure you get the chance to meet my family as well."

"We'll just be glad to know Invah is alright," Andvir assured Fiona. "We can wait, dear."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Alright." Was all Fiona could say as both dragons insisted that she would see her family first and then meet Invah's.

It seemed that the dragon had well and truly adopted her as one of her fledglings. It had been so long since Fiona had a mother, she wasn't really sure what their relationship was and what it would turn into. Her own mother had died when she was young, mostly bedridden and drunk. Her grandmother had long since passed away by the time that she was born. It left her alone with her father or her grandfather most of the time.

"I suppose I can't be too stubborn about it. You're both much larger than me." Fiona said with a soft smile towards both dragons.