Claymore and Dagger Pt.2

[heartofcourage]

"We had planned on coming for the entire thing, but Dad couldn't make it home in time." Lucy said as she looked over at Sam and Fiona, surprised that they had gotten married that evening.

"We come to all of the tribal events that we can. Uvore even formally adopted me during the winter solstice one year." Lucy said, looking up at Dazu with a fond smile. "He gave me my name and his name."

 

[KieranSoares]

Dazu leaned down to kiss Lucy's cheek before looking to Will. "And what names did you and Fiona come away with?"

"She's Ionnin Caliina Dourn, and I'm Kynan Warnn. I'm a Blackstone now too." Lucy knew at least a bit about Will's distaste for his original family name, and that said original family hadn't been a good one.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I think you'll be happier." Lucy said with a smile to Will as Leon joined them. "Dad and Uvore named me Branwyn after my Grandma. They fought for days over what name they were going to give me. I guess it just makes it that much more special."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Owen gave me mine. I guess I'm kinda his kid now," Will smiled toward the quiet older fox.

"Good, but all complaints are still going to Fiona," Dazu chuckled as Leon came to stand beside them. Leon crossed his arms, giving Will a familiar look of distrust.

"Mhm," was Leon's simple agreement, which earned him a nudge from Dazu as a reminder to be nice. Leon was generally polite with Will, but their relationship ended there. Leon didn't trust the boy for a moment. It was odd, considering he liked Fiona just fine, but he definitely held Will's past against him and didn't believe for a minute that his honest job made him less likely to be bad for Lucy.

 

[heartofcourage]

Lucy looked up at her Dad as he grumbled like he always did. He had had a serious talk with her not that long ago, about how she was much too young to be thinking about boys. She had been mortified, but they had gotten through it with a promise that Will was nothing more than a good friend. She knew that Leon was very protective, especially since she had lost her father and mother so young. He had given up his former life to be able to stay home and raise her with all of the love that she could ever want. She would forever be in his debt.

"Come on, Dad. I want to get some of Suara's roast lamb before it's all gone." Lucy said, giving him a bright smile as she took his hand to lead him away.

 

[KieranSoares]

His attention averted from Will, Leon relaxed and looped an arm about Lucy. Dazu simply sighed and followed, giving Will an apologetic smile before he left. Will waited until someone distracted Sam to come to Fiona. "I think Leon's planning my disappearance," he sighed.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Well, what have you done to convince him that you've truly changed?" Fiona asked, glancing up at Will as he took a seat next to her. "It sometimes takes a lot to show someone that you aren't the person that you once were."

"Have you helped him with anything? Gone to eat dinner at their house? Or have you simply been pestering Lucy? She is all that he has, Will. The only thing left of his twin brother. He'll always be protective over her until the day that he dies."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I offer to help cut wood and fix fences whenever I go by," Will grumbled. "Dazu accepts help, but Leon always just kinda waves me off. And Lucy and Dazu invite me to dinner every so often, but the look Leon gives me makes me never give a straight answer."

"Sounds like you need t'care more about what th'rational one thinks," Sam commented as he came to rejoin Fiona. "Leon doesn' change 'is mind about anythin' til Dazu forces 'im t'reconsider. Lucy can sweet-talk 'im, but tha' doesn' mean he'll actually change 'is mind, jus' relent sometimes."

"So... I'm supposed to ignore Leon?" Will questioned, alarmed at the idea. Sam considered the question for a long moment and then nodded.

"Yeah," Sam confirmed. "Dazu won' let 'im do anythin' unfair. You keep up bein' good, an' Leon can't touch you, a' least no' without earnin' a lot o' guilt."

"Sounds like I'm still gonna get my head split open."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You have a very thick skull, so it would be hard to split." Fiona said with a grin towards Will, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "You're a sweet man, Will. Love is a cruel mistress sometimes, but you have time to explore."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Why do you guys keep insisting I'm trying to court Lucy? She's just my friend. My best friend."

"Love doesn' have to be romantic," Sam said simply. "Now go on. Go make yerself a place right next to Dazu, an' don' give it up no matter how much Leon glares."

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona watched as Will drug himself away, walking like he were on his way to his execution. "I think it's sweet. He would never harm her."

Lucy was eating beside Leon when Will reappeared, a wide smile on her face at his boldness. "Would you like to join us, Will?" She didn't even ask if it was alright from either of her fathers.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I would've threatened 'r chased 'im off if I thought 'e was a problem," Sam assured her.

Dazu smiled as Will approached, kindly moving over to make a place for him between himself and Lucy. Will took a seat, giving Dazu a silent look of thanks and purposely avoiding Leon's gaze. "I, uh, never took you up on dinner, so... I figured..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"We have plenty. We always share off big plates at home." Lucy murmured, motioning to the large dishes that they had on their blanket. "It's how uvore grew up."

 

[KieranSoares]

"More or less," Dazu nodded. "We were nomads, so having extra dishes and whatnot was just extra weight."

"Where are you from?" Will asked, looking up at the hulking black lion.

"Where most Lions are from, Africa. Near Asante on the west coast," Dazu explained.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Uvore has promised to take me there to see his home soon. We've been saving up our money." Lucy announced, so proud of the lion that was her adoptive father.

Lucy glanced over at Leon, noticing the way that he simply stared at Will as if he were someone who had interrupted everything. She reached over and took his hand, squeezing it with a small smile to show him that nothing was changing with Will around.

 

[KieranSoares]

Leon looked down to Lucy, and she could see a deep worry in his eyes, one she knew well from anytime she'd gone off to do something alone for the first time or she was going to take some kind of risk. Will kept his gaze away from the private moment, and Dazu gladly saved him from it by asking him about his work.

 

[heartofcourage]

Lucy knew that her Dad still missed his brother terribly. He had tried his hardest to hide the sadness from her, but she could still see that hurt in his blue eyes from time to time. She missed her da in an entirely different way, but those memories had already faded to something that made her smile when she thought about him.

She didn't say anything as she leaned against his shoulder, her head resting against him as she showed him just how much he mattered to her.

 

[KieranSoares]

Leon's arm wrapped securely around Lucy, hugging her tightly to his side and glancing at Will. Despite any reassurances, he wasn't about to let Will into what Leon considered his territory.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'll let you beat him up if anything happens." Lucy whispered against Leon's ear, giving him a little smile to lighten his mood. "But I don't want someone to love right now. I still have a lot of growing up to do and we have a lot of adventures to go on."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Good," Leon grunted simply, choosing to ignore Will for a while. But he did eventually let Lucy go to rejoin Dazu and Will's conversation.

 

[heartofcourage]

Lucy knew she had won that small battle as soon as Leon had let her go back to the conversation that everyone else was having. If he had been truly angry or upset, he would have kept her at his side for the rest of the evening or until Will had left.

 

[KieranSoares]

For the sake of his own nerves and his unwillingness to talk much about his past, Will was mostly asking Dazu about his life. Aware of the way he'd been brought to Scotland as a weapon in chains by Suara's son, Will avoided that particular area, and Dazu respectfully avoided asking Will about his former family.

 

[heartofcourage]

“He’s trying so hard.” Fiona commented as she relaxed against Sam, watching Will from a distance. “I just hope his heart doesn’t get broken in the process.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"If he keeps on th'way he's goin', he'll be fine," Sam murmured, leaning back on the outer wall of the longhouse with Fiona against him. "He's a good lad."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Well, at least you know that he won’t be an entirely hopeless case and our own children will be raised correctly.” Fiona said with a small smile. “I’m pretty proud of myself. I raised him with nothing and was barely more than a child myself.”