Claymore and Dagger (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"Let's hope not at the same time, or we all fall," Rory chuckled as if it were not the great danger it truly was. "Gaiann will catch you. Then maybe Invah will believe you're safe with him."

"He'd better," Invah grumbled.

"Swing your legs over, and unhitch. Drop when he's about to drift in position. Too soon or too late, and you'll slip off or not hit the mark at all. Try to plant your feet on the stirrup," Rory instructed. "If you miss and fall, spread out your arms and legs to slow yourself down. Gaiann will either grab you or dive after you. It's gonna hurt, but it's better than hitting the ground."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona nodded as she swung over to the side of the saddle, unhitching her safety line and glancing down as she watched the dragons moving into position. When she saw Gaiann appear, she pushed herself off, aiming as Rory had told her. Her feet hit correctly, but she overbalanced, falling backwards without being able to achieve anything else.

Suddenly, she was falling. The air around her whipped viciously as she threw out her arms and legs to slow herself. It was a heart stopping moment, one that Sam would have likely died if he saw it happen.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I've got you!" Gaiann called, dropping away from Invah the instant he felt Fiona's boots slip off. Invah nearly panicked and dove herself, but she had to force herself to trust Gaiann, seeing him confidently dive after their fledgling.

Gaiann's wingtip came only a foot from Fiona as he adjusted himself, reaching out to snatch her out of free fall and pull her against his chest. Like Rory had said, it hurt when Gaiann had to grip her firmly against himself, but it would just be a couple bruises on her arms and maybe her stomach. The recovery was even worse when Gaiann pulled up sharply. The sheer force of gravity pressed Fiona tightly into his hands, trying to pull her away from his chest. But once he leveled out, he cradled her much more carefully.

"Well, that was exciting," he chuckled warmly as if nothing had happened. "Are you alright, little one?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona could barely hear Gaiann above the rush of the wind. His wings nearly clipped her as he turned sharply and she let out a sharp cry of pain as he grabbed her out of midair. The air whooshed from her lungs as he pressed her against his chest, his sharp climb making her head spin in the worst way. She blacked out for a moment until the ride leveled out and her senses came back to her.

"I'll be alright. I think Invah has had enough, though." She commented, glancing up at the female dragon who was trying so hard to keep herself calm.

 

[KieranSoares]

"We'll take a break," Gaiann promised. He'd felt Fiona black out for a few seconds. While that was normal for such a harsh stop, he knew she needed a moment to recover.

Invah and Gaiann landed at the same time, Invah just giving Rory long enough to get off before she came running to Gaiann and gingerly took Fiona from his hands.

"Fiona?" She asked softly. "Are you alright?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm fine." She promised as Invah came and cradled her in her arms, making sure that she was alright after the scary incident. "It was bound to happen sooner or later and I'm sure that it's not going to be the last time that it happens."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I fell my first time too," Rory spoke up as he drew near, and Invah finally set Fiona on her feet.

"The pull up was a little rough, but it was necessary," Gaiann nodded. "You've got quite the constitution to be able to recover so fast, little one."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I've been in worse situations." Fiona said with a shrug of her shoulders as Gaiann told her that she was tough to recover so quickly. "When you're a thief and you live rough, you don't have the luxury of losing your senses."

Her legs still felt a little like jello, so she made her way towards the fire and took a seat. It took her a moment to fully relax. Loosening her chest armor, she finally drew in a deep breath and let herself think about what had just happened.

 

[KieranSoares]

Rory and Dmitri joined her in short order while Invah took a little longer to calm down. If Fiona were a young dragon, she might be been able to survive a fall like that with wings to glide down. But as a human, even a small drop could injure or kill her. Gaiann came to distract her from pacing after a moment, turning her away from the group.

 

[heartofcourage]

"It might be best if Gaiann is my partner." Fiona murmured softly, watching the two dragons as he tried to calm his mate. "She would never survive if I were in danger."

 

[KieranSoares]

"That is precisely why Invah should be your partner," Dmitri said calmly. "The two of you should hinge your own lives on the other's safety. Invah would have been far calmer if she were the one catching you. Then again, you have helped Gaiann prove she can trust him with you, and so it'll be easier to work with both. I suggest we find you another Rider to work with, and the two of you work with both dragons."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I thought that you said Riders were rare. Where are you going to find another one?" Fiona said, looking from Dmitri to Rory before she saw the look in their eyes. "No. Sam is not going to be a Rider. Absolutely not."

 

[KieranSoares]

"That would be up to him. And having the four of you all dedicated to each other means you're all far safer," Dmitri reasoned. "Samuel may be afraid of heights now, but he's clearly willing to face it for your benefit. And he seems to be able to overcome it with your help. I see no one better suited."

 

[heartofcourage]

"No, I won't broach the subject with him and neither will you." Fiona said as she stood and turned to leave the conversation, her nightmare from the evening before still haunting her.

She felt sick to her stomach, both from the fall and from the sudden rush of emotion that filled her very core. She didn't want Sam in danger but it seemed that fate was hell bent on making it so that the both of them wouldn't know a moment of peace.

 

[KieranSoares]

Dmitri watched Fiona go in silence, but he knew his course was set whether she liked it or not. As Fiona stepped away, Invah split from Gaiann. Silently, Invah scooped Fiona up and carried her away. She found a spot on a small hill, and laid down in the snow with Fiona warm in her arms. Invah didn't ask any questions, simply laying her head down with a sigh. It'd been a rough morning for them both.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona was quiet as she curled up against Invah's warm scales, resting in her arms as they each recovered from the morning that they had gone through. "I had a dream last night that Sam died while riding a dragon. I'm absolutely not ready for that."

 

[KieranSoares]

"They'll ask him to start training," Invah sighed. "And while I'd rather neither of you were Riders because I fear the same thing... It may also be for the best... If we're together and I can't help you, it would be good to know Samuel and Gaiann can." She seemed just as troubled by the idea, but it also beat the alternative of Fiona being the only Rider and unable to rely on anyone else.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Invah...I don't know if I can." Fiona admitted, looking to the dragon who was now her mother. "If I lost Sam, I wouldn't have anything left."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Then we'll just have to do our best to make sure you don't lose him, Rider or not." Invah hugged Fiona a little closer. "After all... I need someone more serious to look after my reckless mate."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Gaiann might loosen Sam up." Fiona said, feeling as if she didn't really have a choice.

Invah thought it was a good idea. Dmitri and Rory thought that it was a good idea. It seemed as if she were the only one that had bad thoughts about the entire situation.

 

[KieranSoares]

"We can only hope those boys don't get into too much trouble. But I don't think we could stop Samuel if he decided it was a good idea." Invah looked down at Fiona with a somewhat forlorn expression. "I fear for him too, little one."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona nodded, not saying anything else until they returned to the rest of the group. She trained until early evening and then went home, eating a simple dinner that her uncle had left for her before she went to bed. She knew that she had promised Sam that she would stay up for him, but she was soon asleep with one of his shirts in her arms. The smell of him helped her relax, but it wasn't long before the nightmares returned.

This time, she was standing in the keep at Inverness. Alone in a room, she felt rooted to her spot as she viewed Sam's body lying on his funeral pyre. His family had insisted that she saw her goodbyes, even though she told them that she didn't want to. He looked just as he always had, but different at the same time. He was pale, cold, unmoving.

Carefully, she took a step towards him, shaking as she struggled even to breathe. "Sam?" She whispered softly, hoping that he would just open his eyes and tell her that this was all a terrible mistake. "Sam, you promised you wouldn't leave me."

It slowly sank in that he truly was gone, killed with the dragon that he had taken into battle. There was only one thing to do, she thought to herself, her eyes drawn to the sword that was at his side. They wouldn't reach her fast enough to stop her. That was the thought in her head as her shaking hand reached for the blade.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Fiona," Sam's voice reached her, two hands taking her by the shoulders and holding her still as she had begun to struggle in her sleep. When her eyes opened, he was sitting at the edge of the bed and moonlight was streaming in through the window.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona thrashed as someone held her still, her name causing her to wake with a start. She was panting as she stared up at Sam, the moonlight that streamed in through the window illuminating everything in the room. He was there, not dead. It had been another nightmare.

"I'm sorry I didn't wait for you." She said softly, not wanting to talk about what she had just dreamed about.

 

[KieranSoares]

"It's fine," Sam assured her, brushing back a lock of her light hair. "Another nightmare...?"