We've come to the end of our Samhain journey. This is the very last chapter. I've enjoyed every second of it, and I'm so glad the Halloween ficathon gave me the chance to try out something new, and I'm so grateful to all you beautiful readers, who have been so supportive of me. Thank you.
For Annie, my constant support, grammar Nazi and for being an ear to listen, and being the person who makes me feel a little less alone.
Disclaimer: not mine. Just... don't tease, kay?
Kate spared a glance at the moon, before grabbing Alexis's arm, and pulling her away from the grotto. "We have to move," she gasped out. "I told your father that if we took more than an hour to assume we'd been captured and to get the hell out of town."
Alexis nodded, gathering the hem of her skirt, and scrambling after Kate. Rain poured from the sky, their path lit by the occasional streak of lightening. Alexis had never felt more alive. Ever since she'd begun receiving visions, she'd done her best to keep to herself, petrified she'd See something and then be branded a freak, or worse, be executed under Brutus's regime. Clearly, her seclusion had been for nothing.
She'd finally stopped fearing her Gift. Once she had escaped the manacles of terror, she was finally free. Free to allow herself to matter to something far greater than herself. Her younger brother would do extraordinary things, and for a second, Alexis allowed herself to dream that she would be able to help lead him to his destiny.
Kate skidded to a halt, mud squelching loudly when she led Alexis out of a field, into a small clearing. Alexis didn't stop. She threw herself into her father's arms, her body sagging with relief when she realised he hadn't fled.
Kate softened when she saw the reunion between father and daughter, giving Castus a gentle smile when he thanked her over the top of Alexis's ginger head.
"Kate, this is all very sweet, but we have got to get them moving. Sun will be up in a few hours, and they're sure to notice a missing prisoner," Kevin warned, his posture tense as his hand fell to the hilt of his sword.
"I did it, Kevin," Kate breathed, a radiant smile crossing her face, regardless of the rain beating down on them. "I saw my mother."
"How?" Kevin asked, wonderstruck.
"Alexis," Kate looked fondly at the girl, still wrapped in her father's arms as she vividly recounted her escape. "She made all the difference. I would have never seen my mother again if not for her."
"You remember what she told you, don't you Kate? We are not going anywhere," Alexis reminded her, her pale face set with determination.
"Surely you jest. You are leaving town immediately," Kevin interjected fiercely, stepping forward. Kate didn't doubt he would toss the girl onto a horse if he had to.
"Peace, Kevin," she snapped, hand pressing on his breastplate to hold him back. "Listen to her. She has wisdom beyond this world." She turned to the girl she could well be calling daughter. "Alexis, tell them what you Saw."
"Father, you and Kate are to have a son," Alexis began her tale. Castus's eyes locked with Kate's, a light blush staining his cheeks. Kate bit her lip, her eyes sparkling.
"That was why I insisted we leave Cornwall. You had to come here and meet her. Father, listen!" Alexis was well aware of the silent conversation Castus was sharing with Kate. "Your son won't just be any man. He has a destiny greater than all of us. He is going to advise a man, born of dragons. The man your son advises is the Once and Future King, who will wield a sword, pulled from a stone and unite all the Britons in this land. But the King will never fulfil his destiny without yours and Kate's son. A son born with power of the Druids flowing through his veins, and the words of a Roman bard."
Castus stared at his daughter, his mouth agape. He looked up at Kate. "And you believe this?" He asked.
Kate's lips quirked into a smile. "I believe that my mother was the single greatest Druid and Seer I ever met. When she came to me tonight, she confirmed every single thing Alexis has just told you. Who am I to question my fate?" Kate's hand brushed against her stomach, then rested on the hilt of her iron dagger. "I am to challenge Brutus in single combat to the death. My mother said you will take control of the town?"
Castus scraped a hand over his face. "I was trained in Roman law long before I began writing poetry. It is possible that Caesar is aware that I reside here. Brutus was never supposed to gain control of this town. He's a military man, not a leader. He is incapable of ruling without martial law."
Kate forced the images of her mother's broken body out of her mind. "Castus, what does that mean?"
"Technically, I am qualified to rule a Roman outpost," Castus admitted.
Kate nodded. "Do not go back into town yet," she warned. "If I fail at my task, Brutus will still be after Alexis's blood."
While technically, all in the Druid class were exempt from being called into the army, Seamus had insisted that those who lived without swords simply died by them with less fuss. Kate had been trained with a blade since she could talk. "I have not fought since the uprising where Brutus seized power. My skill is likely diminished."
"Kate, you are the best swordswoman I have battled against," Kevin interjected, his pale eyes serious.
"Now I know I'm about to die. Are you honestly paying me a compliment?" Kate teased, her words full of bravado she didn't truly feel. "Stay with them, Kevin. Make sure they escape if I do not succeed."
Kate turned to Alexis, "Thank you," she breathed, taking Alexis's face into her hands. "No matter what happens, I saw my mother again because of you." Kate pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.
"Do you mean to challenge him now?" Castus asked quietly.
"I must challenge him before dawn, lest he realises Alexis is missing. I do not have long," Kate answered.
Castus pulled her towards him, one hand on her shoulder, the other cradling the flat of her stomach. "Be careful, please," he begged.
"It seems it is the will of the Otherworld that I do this. I am certain my ancestors will protect me."
"Kate, please," Castus pled.
"Of course I'll be careful," she assured him. Uncaring of the audience they had, Kate drew Castus into a kiss.
"If I do not return by sun up, get them out of here," she reminded Kevin.
Kate was relieved to see that her father's hearth burnt brightly. She saw several offerings of food laid before it, so it seemed her father had done his duties to the household.
She strode to her room, where she dressed quickly for battle. She drew her sword, admiring the runes carved into the blade in the dim light. Satisfied it was sharp, she drew her cloak over her and left her home to face her fate.
Kate ignored the mud that soaked into the hem of her cloak and dress. She ignored the celebration of the townspeople. She walked toward Brutus, who had insisted on setting up his own throne in the town square to oversee the madness.
"Titus Cornelius Brutus," Kate bellowed, loud enough for the entire town to hear. She vaguely registered the whispers of the townsfolk as they gathered around her. She tightened her grip on Caliburnus, the sword hidden beneath her voluminous robe. Certain she had the eyes of the entire community on her; Kate tossed a glove at his feet. The symbol was understood unanimously.
Brutus sneered, one hand resting on his sword as he marched down to collect the glove.
"Does she really think she will defeat me?" He jeered, unsheathing his sword, posturing to the Roman soldiers amid the crowd.
Kate could take it no longer. She threw back her cloak, drawing her sword from its sheath. "Let us find out," She challenged, parrying her blade into a sharp thrust.
Brutus was a legendary fighter. He met Kate's blade, move for move. Kate could feel the exhaustion seeping into her bones, but she refused to give up. She was fighting for her mother. For her people. For the two people she loved more dearly than anybody. For her son.
It was thoughts of her son that drove Kate through the battle. She would not allow Brutus to take her future away from her.
The entire fight, she'd managed to keep up with Brutus, but she'd never managed to get ahead. He was a big man, and she'd spent much of her time staying away from the longer reach of his arm. She feinted a lunge, and when Brutus reacted, as she knew he would, with an upswing from his left shoulder, Kate jammed the hilt of her blade into his wrist, forcing the sword from his hand. She took advantage of his momentary weakness, slashing at his thigh, slitting his flesh open to the bone.
Brutus drove a fist into her face, leaving her reeling from the force of the blow. He scrambled to pick up his blade, swinging it in an arc, clearing intending to sever Kate's left hand- the one still clinging to the blade.
Kate deftly stepped out of range, glad that her lighter sword gave her more agility. "I suppose I should have warned you, Brutus," she taunted. She tossed her blade in the air, catching the hilt in her right hand. "I am not left handed." In one fluid movement, she swung the sword and severed Brutus's head from his body.
Kate stood motionless over Brutus's corpse. She didn't react to the cheers of her people. She simply froze, letting the rain drip down and soak her body, water and blood mingling as it dripped off Caliburnus into the mud.
She tossed Caliburnus into the mud, deftly picking up the head. The townsfolk separated, nobody daring to cross her path as she made her way to the homestead.
Without a word, Kate skewered the head onto a pike and left the post to stand before her front door.
Kate made her way out to the outskirts of town. The sun was slowly rising, and the rain was stopping. Kate barely noticed. Adrenaline flooded her system, and there was only one person in the world she wanted to see.
She noticed two mounted horses, and immediately picked up her pace.
"Castus!" She called out, desperately hoping he would hear her.
"Kevin! Do not let them leave!"
Kate's heart almost gave out with relief when she saw one of the riders dismount. Abandoning any sense of dignity, uncaring of the blood and muck she was sure to be covered in, Kate barrelled herself at the figure, flinging herself into Castus's arms.
"It's done," she murmured into Castus's ear. "Brutus is no longer a plague on this land."
Her hand tightly gripping Castus's, Kate led her lover and his daughter into her home.
"You defeated Brutus," Seamus stated from his position by the fire. Kate was relieved to see no cup of unwatered wine sat next to him.
Kate nodded, her heart in her throat.
"I saw the head. I am so proud of you."
Kate allowed herself to melt into her father's embrace. "Mother is finally avenged," She whispered.
"You are free to live the life you were intended for," Seamus replied tenderly, his hand cupping the back of his daughter's head.
Kate pulled away from her father. "I believe you know both Castus and Alexis," Kate introduced.
"I hear I am to become a grandfather," Seamus teased.
Kate gaped, a shocked gasp escaping her throat. "Father…" She trailed off.
"Katie, you were not the only one to receive a vision from the Otherworld on Samhain," her father informed her, his eyes twinkling. "In fact, I was told one thing more. You are already expecting."
Kate's hands flew to her stomach, her eyes meeting Castus's. "Mother predicted every single pregnancy in the village. She was never wrong," she told him.
"It seems you were right to listen to me then," Alexis interjected.
"Are you ever wrong?" Castus teased.
Kate's shocked expression slowly morphed into a smile. "We're going to be parents to a legend," Kate whispered. "Are you ready?"
Castus's large hands settled over hers. "Always."
fin.
Interesting historical fact: The Ancient Celts did indeed hang the heads of their enemies at the front of their houses. The head was seen as the source of wisdom, so to possess the head of your enemy was seen as a symbol of your power, and also warded off enemies (historians also debate whether or not the Ancient Celts participated in ritualistic cannibalism for the same reason, but I decided that was a little bit gross and chose not to include it).
To all who have given me feedback, thank you. This story is quite removed from the usual realm of Castle fanfic, so the fact that you not only like this but also care enough to give me your thoughts, really does mean the world. So if you can spare a minute, drop me a line, let me know what you thought.
Look out for the 12th Precinct's Christmas Competition, which begins at the end of November, which I will most certainly be writing in (I'm still in the planning stages of my fic, but I'm quite certain it will be nothing like this), and I'm certain to be posting more one shots, and possibly the occasional multi chapter.
Once again... Thank you. You readers (and this fandom) are extraordinary.