Claymore and Dagger (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"I'm takin' it as easy as you kids let me," Brogan chuckled in return, wrapping his good arm around her with a kiss pressed to her cheek. "I guess I 'ave to accept ye've grown up, love."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Well, it had to happen sooner or later." Kate said as her Da hugged her tightly. "And I expect you to be there often to play with my little one. Annie can't steal all of the attention away from me."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Annie doesn'. Silas, Danny, an' especially Bridget do." Brogan relaxed back in his seat as his wounds began to act up from too much movement. "But a' the moment, Bridget's the only one I can keep up with."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Bridget will always remember the time she spent with you, even if she's too little to know it now." Kate sat down next to her father, taking his good hand and squeezing it tightly.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'll be better b'fore long, love, then she'll get all you did when you were a li'l lass." Brogan gave her hand a gentle squeeze in return. "An' so'll yer li'l one someday soon."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'll have to hold you to that." Kate said as she leaned into her father's shoulder, smiling brightly as she enjoyed the company of the man that she adored.

Fiona wasn't enjoying nearly as cheerful a morning. She was sore from her hike and she was feeling lonely. In spite of the fact that she spent most of her time by herself, she missed Will and the company that he gave to her. Being in the woods, was normally peaceful, but she was growing weary. She missed her little room in the cabin, filled with her things that she was slowly starting to buy. It was all gone.

She closed her eyes as she dozed beneath her tent, listening to the sounds of the forest around her. The birds were chirping and it seemed like it was going to be a beautiful day. She just wished that she felt as sunny.

 

[KieranSoares]

There was no signal- no sounds of footsteps or rustling leaves or even a change in the chirping of the birds who were so easily frightened- that someone had arrived in Fiona's camp a bit later on. Kell appeared before her tent, having just finished breakfast with his family and come to make sure Fiona was holding her own. "Good morning, Miss Blackstone," he called calmly toward the tent, settling on a fallen log to pull a bag from his shoulder and sort through it. He had a knack for finding people who didn't want to be found thanks to his wolf senses, but more so thanks to his training as an assassin.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona lifted her head off her pallet as she heard someone call her name. A slight frown formed on her lips as she peeked outside and saw Kell calmly sitting on a fallen log while searching for something in his bag. She slowly climbed out of the tent and stretched, wondering how she hadn't heard him coming.

"At least you aren't your brother-in-law." She said as she sat down next to the remains of her campfire. "I might have had to do something drastic. I caught him in a snare last time and he decided to let me go for a day when I released him."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know. He told me yesterday, and said that we were even. I can only assume that means he's forgiven me for sneaking around behind his back. But he might be angry that I know where you are and I'm not doing anything about it." Kell came to join her beside the ashy fire pit, and he pulled a still-warm bundle from the bag. "From Chessie and Ashelin, who seem very sympathetic to your plight," he murmured, handing her the cloth-wrapped item. It was a couple mutton-and-cheese sandwiches, still warm from toasting in the ovens at the keep. With it, rolled up in another cloth, were a handful of small pickled vegetables and a still-hot baked potato spiced with rosemary and a pinch of salt. Kell also pulled out a fairly large canteen, a luxury item that Fiona had yet to be able to afford, and it was filled with sweet cider. "And consider that a gift from Brogan and Julia." Sometimes it was hard to stay near water sources for any amount of time, so it'd come in handy.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona looked at everything that was offered and felt a little guilty that she was being given things that she couldn't afford. She quietly took them from Kell and nodded as she looked down at the leather surface of the canteen.

"These people don't even know me. Why are they being so nice? It's their relative that is intent on making sure that I'm brought to justice." Fiona said softly.

 

[KieranSoares]

"We do it because we know we can't stop Sam. So we might as well even the odds until one of you wins out." Kell offered her a smile. "Don't feel bad about it, Miss Blackstone. The Ghis are generous people."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I don't need charity though." Fiona insisted as she looked at Kell. "I've never needed charity. This situation is because of my father and I'm not going to let anyone else suffer because of it."

Fiona quickly clammed up after that, not wanting to talk about her horrible family life. It would only serve to hurt her in the end.

 

[KieranSoares]

"You shouldn't suffer for it either, dear," he insisted softly, not broaching the subject of her parents. He rose from his seat and slung the bag over his shoulder. "Careful of the northwest today. That's where Sam will be for a while."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Thanks." Fiona said softly as Kell took his bag and warned her about Sam. "I'll be sure to stay away."

She didn't say anything else, simply staring down at the items in her lap. Her grandfather had a canteen like that when she was little. Her father had sold it to pay his drinking debts. Her grandpa was a proud man who loved her dearly, trying his hardest to get her away from a father that simply used her a pawn. She had been content to sit on his lap while he read her poetry, her favorite stuffed fox under her arm. The fox had been a gift from one of his travels and her father had thrown it away in a fit of rage. She would have given anything to have that little reminder back.

She was horrified to feel tears welling in her eyes. She hadn't cried over her grandfather in a long time, but sitting there in the woods, lonely and afraid, she sobbed.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kell paused, turning to see her anguish. "Miss Blackstone?" He asked softly, coming to lay a gentle hand on her shoulder. He didn't feel it was his place to do anything more, the two of them only being acquaintances and Fiona being headstrong and, as he'd seen, hesitant to accept such kindness.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Just leave me alone." Fiona muttered miserably as she stood with her gathered food and hurried towards her tent.

She didn't want his comfort and she didn't want him to see her cry. She missed her grandfather greatly, not because he had supported her but because he had been the only person in her life that cared about her.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kell sighed as she went to hide away, and he knew it was best to leave. He, as an outsider, wouldn't be able to offer any comfort or help.

Sam spent days trying to pick up some hint of Fiona's location, going as far as to ask Will again. But the boy was too stubborn to even give him a straight answer.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona always seemed to stay one step ahead of Sam, trying her hardest to keep him as far away from her as possible. She retreated towards the thick woods, making her camp until the base of the thick trees. She saw a few were people hunting but they left her alone. The food that Kell had given to her had lasted a long time, filling her belly each day and giving her some measure of comfort.

 

[KieranSoares]

There was a particular morning that Sam went off his usual schedule, unable to sleep through the night. So he was up long before dawn, and out hours before his usual time. A new patrol brought him across the remains of a day-old fire in the western wood, and he managed to follow scant signs of movement for about a mile near the southwestern edge. He didn't know if it was Fiona even when he came upon the camp at dawn.

Sam saw the tent from afar, and he immediately crouched low in the brush to conceal himself and wait to see if it was Fiona. He felt he recognized the tent, but he couldn't just go rip the front open not knowing if it was someone else.

 

[heartofcourage]

Sleep had been elusive lately. As her thoughts were occupied with dark and dangerous things, Fiona had spent more and more time away from her tent and simply walking in the woods. It helped to clear her mind and reminded her of all the things she had to be thankful about.

A passing were fisherman had traded her some fish for a rabbit skin. Breakfast was held in her hand, two fish strung on a finely made trap. She had left her long blonde hair loose that morning, tired of binding it into her usual tight braid. Her grandfather had always loved her blonde hair long and loose. He said that it reminded him of a Viking warrior. The braids had been necessary, especially after her father had developed the habit of jerking her around by the hair.

As she entered her camp again, she sat down on a fallen log, stoking the fire so that she could cook. She had considered going back to Inverness and perhaps staying a night with Will, if only for the companionship.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam watched Fiona closely, choosing his moment for when she was occupied and not looking his way. Once he had an opening, he burst into a sprint, his shackles ready in one hand. For that fleeting second, crossing that open space, it felt strange to still be after her, even after he'd let her go once. He could've easily delegated the task to proper bounty hunters or Ciaran's finest woodsmen, but he'd gone it alone instead, as if it were his mission in life.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona heard the rustling in the forest as she was placing the fish into a pan. Turning, she saw Samuel Ghis running towards her, shackles in his hand. She was tired, a heartbreaking look on her face as she stumbled forward. She fell on her hands and knees before she pushed herself to her feet to run.

The sound of the chase behind her was terrifying. She knew Sam wouldn't hurt her if he caught her, but she knew she would lose so much if she went back to jail. She might never come out again. The trees were a blur around her as she ran, her legs pumping as she dodged between trees and shrubs to try and get away from him.

Looking over her shoulder, she saw him there, a dark figure with determination in his eyes. It was the same look that her father had in his own eyes when he was looking for someone to hurt. Most of the time, that had been her.

Suddenly, the earth dropped out from beneath her feet and Fiona let out a scream. She would have seen the steep hill if she had been paying attention, but when she was focused on Sam, it came up to surprise her. She tumbled, head over heels down the hill. Trees bit and scratched at her face and hands. When she finally landed, it was with a harsh thud, her head whacking against the ground with a crack.

She lay there motionless for a moment. It took that time to gather her senses. The air was gone from her lungs and she was making the most horrible gasping sounds. Her shoulder was aching in the worst way and she could feel blood trickling down her forehead and cheek. Shaking, she pushed herself up onto her knees, the wooziness washing over her in heavy waves. They threatened to pull her under to the dark abyss beyond. Her blonde hair was a cloud around her face, covered with twigs and brambles from her fall down the hill.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam had been about to yell just as he realized where Fiona was headed and that she was looking back at him, but by the time he could actually roar for her to stop, she had already stepped over the edge. Sam had to stop completely to avoid the same fate, staring down at her clearly-injured form from the top of the hill. Carefully but quickly, he slid down the hill using trees as handholds until he reached her as she managed to sit up on her knees.

"Steady," he murmured, taking her arm to hold her still. But then, he paused, staring in shock at something behind her. That shock was soon joined by disgust and anger, and he seemed to have forgotten about Fiona for a moment.

Behind her lay a ring of dark tents around a somewhat large, dead fire pit. The first body was that of a mainland drake, an impressive cousin to the dragons, but about the height of a horse and nearly three times the length with its long, lithe body and tail. They were the fastest running creatures man had ever tamed, able to eat up the distance twice as fast as a horse. They originated in Europe and Africa, but had spread to most rich households across the known world.

This particular green-scaled beast was long dead from a horrible slash to its neck and stab wounds to its chest and belly where bits of its armor-like scales had been cruelly ripped away. The camp was host to four more of these dead beasts, and a whole host of human corpses. All were dark-haired, olive-skinned men in foreign garb.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona's stomach was rolling and she was sure that if she had eaten breakfast that morning, she would have lost it on the forest floor. Sam was there, his large hand holding her arm steady as he assessed her injuries for a moment before something else caught his attention. Looking over her own shoulder, she had to wait for the world to stop spinning before she saw just what he did.

The tents looked familiar and Fiona knew that she was looking at the group that the woman she had killed had been a part of. She struggled to her feet, swaying a moment before she gripped her injured arm tightly against her body. Slowly, she walked towards the camp, anger and sadness filling her brain as she saw the dead drakes.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam was no longer concerned about Fiona running away as he stepped into the camp. He knelt beside a man who seemed to have a richer outfit than the others, guessing he was some kind of leader. Searching his pockets and jacket, Sam found little to tell him who they were, but their clear Mediterranean complexions told him that they had something to do with the woman Fiona had killed.

When he stood, movement caught his eye off in the forest and he nearly drew his sword until a saddled drake with crossbow bolts all over his side came limping into the clearing. The great beast nudged at one corpse with his great maw looking for help, the man probably his deceased master.

Fiona got to see a hint of a side of Sam then that few outside his family ever encountered. He stepped calmly toward the drake and took the beast's great head in his hands. The beast gave him a low growling whine of pain, and Sam took his lead. "Come on, friend," he murmured softly, stroking the drake's nose gently. "We'll get you some 'elp." Even if she had never looked after drakes, he knew Annie could help.

Sam then looked to Fiona. With a sigh, he came toward her and scooped her up off her feet without warning, carrying her and leading the drake toward town