Ghis (closed)

[heartofcourage]

Julia had never seen a more welcome sight in all of her life. The men in the encampment were there to fight for her home and her family. With Dalton and his fighters there, it only meant that they were waiting for Dylandra and John. She hoped the wait wouldn’t be too long.

She took the time to relax, sitting next to a fire to get warm as she rested her weary bones. As she dozed, she felt someone press a warm mug between her hands and she glanced up to see Kreston. She gave him a smile and a nod, glancing down at the steaming brew.

“Needless to say that a pregnant woman isn’t cut out for all of this hard riding.” She said softly, trying to make light of the matter.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm well aware, especially after Selena and how she insisted on doing everything for herself when she was pregnant." He settled beside her and it wasn't long before Dylan arrived with news that John was right behind her with anywhere from five-hundred to seven-hundred English footsoldiers, cavalry, and longbowmen. So at the fire settled Julia, Gabriel, Kreston, Dylan, Ruben, Dalton, and Casso. And that was when a letter arrived, telling them that most of the Invernessian population had fled to Aberdeen and Durban and Kayla were making a last stand as Brogan had gone missing.

 

[heartofcourage]

The plans for a battle were being drawn up, but Julia was exhausted. She slumbered as the battle was discussed, Dylan taking up a voice as a representative of the Ghis family to allow her sister-in-law time to sleep. She forbade the two boys from participating, much to their protest. She appointed Kreston the lead in charge of the troops. Dalton and Casso would help as his second in command.

 

[KieranSoares]

The ranks formed up according to their specialties, the centaurs falling in with cavalry and the werecreatures divided as the humans were. The next morning, the English and the majority of their Scottish troops joined them and they set off, following Julia, Dylan, Casso, Kreston, and Dalton. It was a proper military march. With the news of Inverness' fall, they skipped going to Aberdeen in the interest of precious time. They needed to retake their home before it was destroyed, and they needed to find Brogan.

And at that moment, Brogan was in one of Sarah's tents in chains, still weak from the battle but healed well.

 

[heartofcourage]

As night fell over the encampment, Sarah made her way into the tent where the terror of the Scots was restrained with thick coils of chains. The light in the tent made him look so weak and defeated. Sarah stood a distance away from him, her arms crossed over her chest as she stared down at the man that had spurned her so long ago.

“I should offer you my congratulations.” She said in a sarcastic tone. “Your sister will be the Queen of Norway before this night is over. Sweet little Kayla. I can only wonder how long she can survive under Olaf. He’s not as kind in bed as the Ghis are.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan didn't respond. He didn't budge in the slightest, his eyes remained closed as he sat there on his knees in chains. The only sign of life in him was the slow rise and fall of his back as he breathed. His home was taken, his family forced to flee in terror, and worst of all to him, he didn't know where Julia was, nor if she was even alive.

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah moved towards Brogan and crouched before him, her fingers gripping his hair tightly and pulling his head back so that she looked into his closed eyes.

“You have the power to stop all of this.” She murmured. “Set aside your wife and consent to being my husband and I will end all of this. Your family can return to Inverness and you will come with me to Wick.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan's eyes finally opened halfway to meet her own, and he muttered, "I a'ready gave in when y'put me in chains, Sarah... Else I would've fought..." Julia wasn't here this time to save him from his own mind. "Y'won..." he admitted as he held back tears of pain and shame.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Then you’re mine.” Sarah said with a grin upon her features as he admitted that she’d won. “You will not think of your wife any longer. We will be wed. We will live happily.”

Sarah leaned in and kissed him, sighing softly as her lips touched his. It was all that she could have ever wanted in her entire life.



Dylan sat on her horse, looking over the encampment. Ballas nearly shook with energy as he stood beside her, the rest talking about the best course of action. “Find Ash.” Was all she said, releasing Ballas to do what he did best…hunt.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan simply submitted to her kiss, though he didn't make any effort to return it. His heart was gone, shattered to nothing.

==

Ballas bolted into the camp, snuffling about here and there until he hurried to the western edge where a large enclosed area laid. The prisoners were kept there. He kept low, though, knowing he couldn't be seen else he risked his life and Dylan's. After all, tigers weren't common in Scotland.

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah pulled her lips from his as he simply sat there. Reaching up she slapped him, her eyes turning stormy as she glared at him.

“You will be a willing participant or else I will kill your son.” She hissed at him, her breathing now harsh as her anger reached its boiling point.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan lifted his head after she'd struck him, "I'm sorry... I will."

===

Ballas soon returned to Dylan, having found Ashien in the prisoners' compound, and he awaited her next command.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan looked down at Ballas as he growled and looked towards the compound. She thought for a long moment, considering what to do. It was a few moments later that she gave another command to Ballas, telling him to lead her towards where Ashien was being held. She would free as many people as she could before the battle began.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ballas led her to the gate, just out of sight of the guards. He was crouched low in the snow, his ears laid back. He was ready to strike at any moment she gave the word.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan silently opened the gate, leaving Ballas on watch. Once the gate gently closed behind her, she turned and looked at the men that were gathered in chains. It was dark, she could barely make anyone out.

“Ash?” She whispered in a breathless tone, her eyes slowly adjusting to the inky black darkness.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Lord Ashien is a' the end..." a weak voice answered her quietly. "He's badly wounded..." It was a man near her feet on her left, in chains and dying of his wounds. He was Irish from the sounds of it. "'E saved our lives..."

 

[heartofcourage]

“We’re here to help you, my friend. Just hold on a bit longer.” She told the man before she moved past him, searching for the love that she wasn’t prepared to lose just yet. “Ash?”

She paused when she could dimly make out a dark haired man and she knew instantly that it was her husband. “Oh, Ashien.” She murmured, dropping to her knees and gathering him against her body in the tightest hug that she could muster.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ashien groaned pitifully as she moved him, and she could tell his entire body was in immense pain. She could barely make out his form because it was so dark, until it became clear that he was covered in his own blood and she could feel shards of metal embedded in his skin. What awful weapon could do such a thing?

 

[heartofcourage]

“They’re coming, love. Hold on.” She murmured, kissing his brow as she turned her head and gave a whistle, signaling to Ballas to start his fight. The others on the hill would be waiting for the distraction and soon the entire might of the army Julia had gathered would come down until the Wick.

 

[KieranSoares]

She heard the vicious roar of her pet as he ripped into a Norwegian warrior, and she soon heard the thundering battle cries of the vast army. The Norwegians weren't ready and several were taken with hardly a fight before Olaf emerged and ordered the counterattack.

Tears of relief were streaming from Ashien's eyes as he buried his face against his love's shoulder. He thought he and all he had fought so hard for were going to be destroyed, and Dylan came in a moment and fixed it all.

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia listened as Kreston gave his first command, nodding in agreement as soldiers start to flood into the encampment. Inverness was just beyond the river and the sounds of the battle soon filled the air. The Norwegians had no idea what was happening and Julia kept her eyes on the keep, hearing the sounds of distant cries raising the alarm.

“Send the weres towards the keep. The Centaurs can provide backup.” She said to Kreston in a soft voice, allowing him to give the full command. “I want Sarah and Olaf taken alive.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Kreston roared the orders over the men, and below, they rushed to do as they were told. However, in Inverness, Sarah's men were preparing to take Brogan away. He was the most important of the Ghis family to keep in chains.

The battle grew fierce in a moment, and blood stained the ground and ran like a stream in only ten minutes.

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah slipped from Inverness quietly with Brogan as her prize, the battle raging behind them as she made plans to return to Wick. She wasn’t about to let him go just yet…

Julia listened to the commands relayed to her by Kreston. The man was in control despite his soft spoken demeanor. “Find Dylandra and Ashien. I want them both safe and secured.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"They're in the prison, it's about to be taken over," Kreston told her. "Ballas has seen to that." And within minutes, it was done. The wounded were brought out along with Dylan and Ashien. It was revealed that one of the Wick cannons had exploded on Ashien after he'd gotten several men away from it and shielded one young man.

Despite being outnumbered, the fiercer and better-prepared army behind Julia was decimating the Norwegians, finding few Wick soldiers among them oddly enough.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Send riders to Aberdeen. I want the family informed of what has happened.” She told Kreston, focusing on taking over the keep now that the battle for the encampment had been won.

“We will bring the traitors in alive. They have much to account for.” Julia simply said, praying that Brogan was still alive in the middle of all this mess.