Claymore and Dagger (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"Are you going to slip away like Gran?" Heather asked softly as she felt her father tip them both back and he started to relax. "I know you get sick like her. Papa says her heart gave out and there was nothing anyone could have done to stop it."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm going t'be around fer a long time yet, love," Brogan assured her. "I couldn't leave you all jus' yet. Some o' you are still findin' yer place 'r settlin' into it."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I miss her." Heather confessed in a soft voice. "And I talk to her all of the time still. Ashelin would call me a baby when she caught me. She said that Gran can't hear me and I need to grow up."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Ash does that because she's never really made peace with Gran goin' either, an' she's angry an' hurt. But I'll let you in on a little secret, love. Yer aunts an' uncles an' I, even yer Ma... we talk to 'er too. When I'm at my worst, sometimes I even pray for 'er t'help me."

 

[heartofcourage]

"It makes me feel better to know she's listening." Heather confessed as her green eyes closed and she let out a little sigh. "She was my best friend. I guess I should find a new best friend now, huh? Sam's got Fiona. Ciaran's got Justin. Kate's got Kell. Rho has Naiya. And Annie has David."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You'll make it, love. I promise. Jus' not as soon as ye'd like." Brogan kissed her forehead with a sigh.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I hope so." Heather said as she snuggled up against Brogan's side and fell asleep.

Her Da had always been her protector, never afraid to let her fail or fall but always there to pick her up when she needed it.

 

[KieranSoares]

This was the sight Kell came upon an hour later while looking for Heather, and he smiled to see the two so peaceful together. He laid a gentle hand on Heather's shoulder and murmured, "Heather. You have a visitor waiting for you outside."

 

[heartofcourage]

Heather stirred as Kell shook her shoulder. She felt her Da stiffen beneath her as he woke too and she glanced in the direction of Kell's voice.

"Who?" Heather asked, not use to visitors coming just for her.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Your favorite dragon," Kell told her with a smile. Brogan sat up slowly at that.

"Does she need t'talk t'me or Julia?"

"Just Heather," Kell assured him.

 

[heartofcourage]

Heather nodded and pushed herself to her feet, kissing her Da's cheek before she started out of the library to find Invah. She never had any trouble finding her way around the keep. Her family and the maids made sure that everything was always in order, easy for her to find in the same place every single time.

Exiting into the courtyard, Heather paused and listened to the noises around her. "Invah?" Heather asked, a little uncertain.

 

[KieranSoares]

Invah, despite her giant form and seemingly unwieldy wings and tail, was an incredibly quiet and graceful being and Heather couldn't tell that Invah was right in front of her until she spoke. "Hello, darling," she said softly.

 

[heartofcourage]

Heather immediately reached out her hands to touch the dragon as she greeted her. Soon, Heather's fingers came into contact with Invah's unique scales and the little girl smiled brightly.

"Why did you come to see me?" Heather asked, glancing up towards where she thought Invah's face was located.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Well, two reasons, really." Invah scooped Heather up into one great hand and held the girl gently to her chest where her scales were warm and much softer than the rest. "I wanted to bring you something special from my homeland that I think you could certainly do with, and I was worried for you."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Worried for me?" Heather asked with a slight frown on her features as Invah hugged her close to her warm chest. "Why are you worried about me? Mama worries enough about me for everyone."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I've been talking with your brothers, learning about your family. As is tradition, I am always protector and friend to the women of your family. And I learned about a lovely former Queen whom I understand you were very close with." Invah settled in the grass, letting Heather sit against her broad arm. "And I was surprised to hear she hailed from my homeland."

 

[heartofcourage]

"My Gran." Heather said as she settled against Invah's arm, thinking about the woman that she missed so much. "Her name was Kitty. Kate is named after her. No one ever called her Katherine unless they were trying to be formal. Gran was my best friend."

Heather went quiet for a long moment as she thought about her grandmother. She could still remember her laughter and the gentle way that she would hold her. Her stuffed cat and her blanket on her bed still smelled like her Gran, but she was afraid one day that she would forget the woman entirely.

"Her heart gave out one day. Papa tried his hardest to bring her back and make her better, but she wanted him to let her go. She said that she had people to see that she hadn't seen in a long time." Heather murmured. "I miss her every day."

 

[KieranSoares]

"If she's anything at all like the stories heard, she was quite the pillar of your family. And for you." Invah touched Heather's cheek lightly with the back of one slender finger. "If you can keep a secret... I felt the very same about my grandmother and I have never been the same since she passed. Many smaller creatures think us dragons immortal... but my grandmother lived to be nearly two millenniums old. She passed only four winters after my grandfather who was even older than her. She taught me to fly and to breathe fire... I'm the only one in my family right now that can breathe blue fire like her. She taught me how to speak to humans and werefolk and how not to end up like the dragons slain in fairytales. Above all, she taught me how to be kind to all, no matter their size. She said, 'Invah, my love, the smallest cub can have a heart greater than any elder dragon, and that is the heart you must look for in your friends.' So I took her advice and I found great allies: the Ghis. And you, my dear, hold true to the good hearts of my first friends who built this keep and began Inverness."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm not brave." Heather said as Invah told her about her own grandmother and why she had always been friends with the Ghis. "Sometimes I wish I was, but everyone is much braver than me. Even Ashelin."

Heather was quiet for a long moment before she let out a slightly disappointed sigh. "Mama and Da want us to have separate parties for our birthday. We've always done things together. Ashelin is more excited about it than I am, so I decided not to have a party at all. She has more friends anyway. Da promised to take me to town tomorrow so I can buy her a present."

 

[KieranSoares]

Invah sighed, knowing all too well that Heather was depressed. "You mustn't judge yourself by your sister's life, nor anyone else's. You should do what makes you happy, Heather. If you want a party, you have one. Ashelin has nothing to do with it. But if you'd rather enjoy your birthday another way, you should. Either way, you are welcome to the loch. I could always use company."

Invah then lifted one great wing. "Regardless... I brought you an early gift. One that I think you could use."

 

[heartofcourage]

"What did you bring me?" Heather asked as she felt Invah lift her wing. "I don't have anything to give you in return."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You don't need to give me anything. This is my way of paying my respects to Lady Katherine." Heather soon felt a familiar shape pressed into her hand, but far heavier and hardier than she remembered. It was most certainly a Skye shell, like the one she knew Kitty for and Kitty had given to Vincenzo before she took her last breath, and he now wore.

This shell, however, was as wide as Heather's palm and thick and solid as stone. The ridges and shapes were unmistakable.

 

[heartofcourage]

The weight of the shell in her hands startled Heather slightly. Her slender fingers spread over the ridges and whirls as she studied it. She remembered her gran's Skye shell, the one that her Papa wore now. When she was having a particularly bad day, she would curl up with Vincenzo, listening to him read from his journals as she played with that same shell.

"Gran gave a shell to my aunts. Aunt Selena gave her shell to Luna when she got married and Aunt Kayla still wears hers all of the time. Aunt Val is going to give hers to Frannie. She always promised that I would get my own some day." Heather said, reaching out to touch Invah's scales. "Thank you."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I only hope it can offer some comfort. And perhaps someday I might go back to Skye to see how it's changed. Maybe by then, I might bring you along if you're up to it. But of course my first concern is my family in Sweden."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Maybe Mama will let me go when I'm older." Heather commented as Invah talked about taking her with her to Skye. "She has already promised to let me go to Norway next year. I'm going to visit my cousin Lena. She's a princess too. We get along really well...better than even Ashelin and I get along right now."