I've started naming my chapters, for some reason, because I felt like it really, and for the past few days I've been working on an INSANELY long one shot for Fable as well. It's called 'Requiem', and I hope you like it if you decide to check it out. Reviews would be immensely appreciated :)
Damien, thankfully, was more than okay with Danny being present at the trial, and had even gone out of his way to get her a comfortable chair so her back wouldn't be as sore. She was thankful for this, but wasn't quite sure how this event would play out.
She listened as Ben stated quite clearly that he'd seen Swifty get shot like it was 'a bloody circus act', and after all this why should Logan live? Danny remembered vaguely how he'd referred to people in Silverpines treating her like she was a circus act, and figured out that it was his way of saying people weren't taking them seriously, and treated them with little respect... which she agreed with on many levels. Sabine made the same plea, while Page said they shouldn't stoop to his level basically, and they hadn't come this far just to have someone shot. Kalin had the last word before Logan spoke up, telling everyone how he'd left them for dead, and though it wasn't her place to decide his sentence it was blatantly obvious what she thought.
Damien turned to Danny, and she paused for a second, looking up into those warm brown eyes before turning her gaze and looking into the matching pair of his brothers'. They were only slightly colder, slightly more defensive, but a lot more troubled. She read those eyes like she'd read her Balverine's. He was frightened, and scared, and a poor, pathetic creature that had turned to the absolute last resort to try and rule the Kingdom.
"Can I speak in a minute?" she asked, and Damien nodded, then turned back to Logan, indicating that it was his turn to take the floor.
Logan had been looking up and Danny, with the slightest hint of wonder on his face. Then he seemed to come to his senses and explained that he'd done all that he had done for a reason… the Darkness was coming to Albion.
A wave of terror gripped her, and she looked quickly to Ben, but he'd kept his face composed, looked from Damien to Walter who had both turned as white as sheets. The image of the shadows flickered before her eyes before she'd remembered the pain of the shadow that took her sight from her, and how the whispering in the desert had made her question everything she'd been taught to know by the humans she'd surrounded herself with. She knew that Damien had faced this Darkness, whatever it was, she'd heard him talking in low voices to Walter and Ben about it when they'd thought she'd been asleep, and she knew then that Damien would protect his brother like Drogo had protected his family. And she understood why.
After Logan finished his speech, Damien cleared his throat and turned to Danny, considering her again. What she said would make very little difference now to the new King's decision, but she wanted to speak anyway.
"I… I have been treated badly in the past few months," She said, loud enough for the completely silent room to hear her. Everyone knew what she was, and she knew that. "I've gone from being part of a pack, where Balverines treated me with love, to being an outsider, and being hurt, and being tortured. I've seen the best and worst of humans… and Logan is neither."
There was a low rumble of whispers and confused exchanges, a lot of people shifted from foot to foot, while a few people in the crowds – rebels who'd treated her badly – look ashamed.
"Logan did not treat me well. He risked my life for his own fun, and sent me away to where both he and I thought I would die. Because of him I've lost my family, many of my friends-" her thoughts flickered briefly to the Balverines that Logan had sent the soldiers to kill, and Jammy, who'd died in her arms "- and I've been close to death myself on more occasions than I'd have liked. But he's made no more mistakes than any human would if they had his power. He's had to rule the whole country, and he's made decisions that have been good and bad, but he did it to try and make things better."
The look on everyone's face was priceless, though it was mostly shock because she hadn't ever spoken for that long before… mostly because she'd never had to, but this was different. This man was misunderstood. Cruel sometimes, and quite horrible too, but everyone needed to see the other side of it.
"You're backing him up? You're sticking up for him after what he's done to you?"
Danny looked up at Ben, then looked quickly at Damien who had the same confused expression on his face. She nodded slowly, and while Ben let out a frustrated groan, Damien nodded, and she continued, finishing her small speech.
"He shouldn't die."
Damien stood then while Ben stared at her, aghast. The King cleared his throat, rendering the room silent again, every man, woman and child waiting on baited breath to hear the sentence.
"Logan, the things you've done are completely unforgivable… but if one person who you've done so much wrong to can find it in them to forgive you, then I'm sure others can too. This is not a time to be killing one another… this is a time to stand together and protect our Albion."
And with that, the trial was over. Ben gave Logan a loathing look, and Danny could tell that he would not forgive him for any of the wrong he'd done any time soon, then he turned to Danny and lifted her out of the chair, even in his bitterness and resentment towards Logan and the anger he felt towards Danny for defending him, he was ever so gentle with her. He carried her up to her room and lay her down on the bed, kissing her forehead as he did so.
"You're not happy, are you?" she asked him tentatively, smoothing out the sheets with her hands and avoiding eye contact.
"No really… but I'll get over it. Now get some sleep, I suppose these next few weeks are going to be full of fun," he replied, somewhat sarcastically. She caught this and smiled, before resting her head back and closing her eyes. Within seconds, she was gone.
It was like she'd been lay in the grass at Silverpines, and she felt like she was cuddling close to Balverines again, feeling their warmth and protection around her.
Drogo was there, nuzzling her hair every now and then letting her know she was safe, and she lay, happy and content for as long as it was. There didn't seem to be a concept of time. It was always mid morning, where it was cool, but the sun was up and it just about warmed your toes. The birds chirped overhead, and she could curl her toes ever so slightly to feel the grass was still damp with morning dew. The cubs were running about playing with one another, but she was lying down, with Drogo, until she felt the earth tremble.
She sat up, and the sun rolled over in the sky, and the moon appeared, and they chased one another. The sky grew dark rapidly, then the sun would round over the east horizon again and it would be the next day. The earth was spinning too quickly, and she looked to Drogo to see he was still content in the grass.
"What's happening?" she cried, trying to stand, but the ground shuddered.
"We're in the Motherland," Drogo yawned, and he stood lazily to hold her close and still. Suddenly the sun was blazing down on them, high noon, and she could feel the warmth flooding through her, but she felt cold.
"Mother land?" she whispered, knowing that was where they went in death… "But I was fine… I can't have…"
"No," Drogo laughed, his wolfish grin breaking out over his face. "No, you're alive, but you need to find the strength to overcome these next few months. Our gods have brought you here as a visitor, as we need to talk. But they are not patient. You need to go back."
Tears welled in her eyes and she flung her arms around him, burying her face in his soft fur. He smelled sweeter than he used to… like lavender.
"But I… we…"
"I love you Daenerys," he said softly, pushing her away. "But Ben Finn loves you, and you love him too."
"Ben…" she whispered, and looked away from Drogo as she remembered the blond haired man that had been keeping her safe… the same man who had lain her to bed a few moments ago.
"The next year will be hard. There is a darkness coming that is a danger to all creatures. Daenerys, you need to unite the Balverines and the men to be able to overcome this. The coming war is everyone's, and nobody will be safe unless we work together."
Danny felt her jaw drop, and she flustered around for a second before biting her lip.
"Drogo, the men hate us…" she started, but he shushed her and smiled toothily.
"No, the men hate Balverines. But their alpha likes you, he trusts you, and if you can make him and Kali see eye to eye then you should be able to make this work."
Tears pricked her eyes and she let out a choked sob before flinging herself into Drogo's chest, shaking as she cried.
"I can't do it!" she wept, wiping her tears away with Drogo's fur, nuzzling her face into his chest to hide her tears, though he knew they were there. "I'm not strong enough, I-"
"Daenerys, you are strong. You've always been strong. Believe in yourself and you will succeed."
"But I've forgotten my mother tongue," she whispered. Besides the one outburst in the heat of the fight in Bowerstone, she'd not been able to use it since leaving Aurora. No matter how hard she'd tried, she couldn't remember the language she'd grown up using. That Darkness had taken that from her, a token of it's hatred. To her anger and frustration, Drogo let out a loud wolfish laugh, howling out as it burst from him.
"But Daenerys, you've been speaking it this whole time!"
Ben watched as her eyes snapped open and she started up at him, her pupils' mere specks in the vast green. Her skin was clammy, and pale, and she looked shocked.
"Danny? Avo wept, you stopped breathing in your sleep…" he gasped, as nurses and the alchemist swept around her room, grabbing potions. The old man tried to coax her mouth open to pour one down her throat, but she pushed him away roughly, swatting at his hand when he tried to lift the potion to her mouth. Damien was stood in the back of the room, looking over with concern written starkly across his face.
Then she opened her mouth, and a garbled mess of growls and whimpers came out, and something in her twigged. She gave a happy whoop before reaching out for Ben, and pulling herself up against him, swinging her legs out of bed despite everybody protesting, and standing up beside the blond, though leaning heavily against him.
"I'm sorry, come again?" he muttered, and she laughed, a tinkling sound like falling glass. Musical. She swept her brown hair away from her face and grinned up at him.
"I want to go home. I have an idea."