Surprise! After ignoring this fic for two years, I've finally decided to resurrect it! I hope those of you who weren't aware ahead of time that I was about to do this are pleasantly surprised. This chapter covers the fate of Briggid, Jamke and Holyn.
If you are wondering when the next update for this fic is going to be, or how updates for it in general are going to work from here on, let me lay it out. I'm not going to write all the new chapters all at once. You aren't going to have to wait nearly as long for new chapters, but you are still going to have to wait, as I consider this a side project right now, what with my last semester of college just beginning and my other fic interests in mind right now.
My current fanfic plans are on my profile right now, but if you don't want to look there… I'm going to write a trilogy focusing on each individual Whitewing sister and put it under the "Hopes and Despairs of Archanea" story banner. Then I'm going to write chapter four of this fic. Currently, I plan for it to be about the fates of Lex and Ayra. Alright, as always please leave a review and I hope that you guys enjoy my return to my Jugdral continuity!
By some strange twist of fate, Briggid's suitor question was not answered for her by the Massacre of Belhalla. One would've expected, given the events of that awful day, that one of the two men trying to woo her would have been killed, leaving the other as the victor by default.
But thanks to Dew's foresight and swift actions, that had not happened, and she had escaped with both Jamke and Holyn in tow. This of course begged the question, what now? Yea, by some miracle they had survived and escaped Belhalla, but now they had no choice but to go on the run.
Where could they run to? While Dew's escape route had gathered the survivors in one place, sticking together was the ideal option but not the best option. The Belhalla survivors staying in one big group would attract WAY to much attention and while it would make survival easier for the children and each other easier, it would also make them easier to track. Thus, it would actually make survival harder for everybody involved if they stayed in larger groups.
As much as Briggid loved the idea of helping to track down and raise the children of her sister and close friends… in the end, they were not HER children. As the heir to Jungby, she was a priority target, so she reasoned that while she had plenty of emotional reasons to go to Isaac… she simply did not have enough logical ones to take the risk.
Well, with the option of Isaac eliminated, she wasn't really certain of where else that she could go. So she decided to discuss her options with Jamke and Holyn. These discussions… were ultimately what settled her mind. Not only on where she would go, but on which one of them she would choose to give her heart to.
Jamke was determined to return home to Verdane. Oh, he knew that imperial forces and Loptyr priests would doubtless be waiting for him there, but he did not care. He had been away from his country for far to long, and it was about damn time that he returned to it and gave his people some semblance of hope.
He wasn't outright suicidal. He didn't intend to make his return dramatic. His plan was of the king underground and incognito variety. He was planning a guerilla resistance against the empire.
While Briggid admired his valor and dedication to his people… she feared that he was to optimistic; that his plan gave zero guarantee of their long-term survival. In fact, the way that she saw it, it practically guaranteed that their survival would only be for the short term if they followed through with what he was planning. You know what, it was an outright suicidal plan.
Holyn's ideas, on the other hand, were more realistic and practical in Briggid's mind. His idea was to hide out in Miletos or Thracia, or maybe any of the other nations currently in turmoil due to the empire. They themselves had no particular ties to these nations, and chaos that these nations were in could be used to their advantage in order to hide. They could work as mercenaries, or laborers, or really just about anything that they were capable of, as people of their talents would definitely be needed in these times.
Holyn himself admitted it was a somewhat dangerous proposition, but the whole world was dangerous for them now, and they were all capable. If Briggid found someplace to hide Yewfelle, they should not stand out TO much.
This kind of talk made Briggid ultimately decide to give heart over to Holyn, as she foresaw a life with him lasting longer than a life with Jamke. She did not tell either of them this outright, however. Instead, what she said was "Well, then I guess your mind is made up then, huh Jamke? Holyn… Let's at the very least help him get to Verdane. Once we get there… well, we'll see what we'll do from there." Holyn reluctantly agreed, and so the three of them set off to Verdane together, travelling through the southern countries, getting to Verdane via Miletos.
Briggid's plan was to make hints towards what she had decided during the journey. That way, Jamke at the very least wouldn't be surprised once she finally told him once they got to Verdane.
But they never got to Verdane. Halfway there, they were caught in an ambush. While they managed to kill all of their assailants, before death one of the assassins got a lucky shot in and hit Jamke in the back, lethally wounding him. Holyn stood to the side respectfully as Briggid went to the dying Jamke.
Not wanting him to die believing falsehoods, but knowing that it would undoubtedly hurt both of them. She admitted to him then her true feelings; what she had decided and why. She apologized to him for rejecting him and for "leading him on".
"No… don't say that. Based on what… you just said, you were… genuinely interested until… my own passions and actions… drove you away." said Jamke. "Doesn't count… as leading… I made the mistake… again. That can be my epitaph… made to many mistakes… to get the girl or be king-" and with that, to much blood filled his lungs and he lost the ability to speak. He passed a minute later.
They buried Jamke there, and then wandered about a bit before finding an abandoned house to stay the night in. Holyn tried to give Briggid his condolences, thinking what had passed between the two of them had been a love confession… but Briggid corrected him. She told him the truth. That by the time Jamke had died, she had already chosen him, and that she had been forced to admit it to Jamke when he died.
"…Are you serious?" asked Holyn once he could speak. Briggid nodded through tear streaked eyes. Holyn's first instinct was to lean in and kiss her…. but then he thought that maybe that wasn't the appropriate response. Instead, after a moment of hesitation he said. "Well then… You've got me. What do you want me to do? I'll do it." Briggid looked at him, a hungry look in her eyes.
This pretty much set the tone for their relationship. It worked out pretty well for him. Faval was born within a year of this event, and Patty about a year after that. Both parents were glad to have them, however, they did make life a bit more challenging for them, especially for those first couple of years. They couldn't trust just anybody to look after their children while they were away. They couldn't trust that when they came back, their children would be there.
They had not actually left Miletos after Jamke had died, so Faval and Patty were actually born in that country. What made them leave was that Granville solidified its takeover of the district and put Hilda in charge. Holyn and Briggid were both street savvy people, and it didn't take them long to realize that with Hilda in charge of Miletos, they couldn't even pretend that their children could be safe, even if one of them stayed at home at all times.
So, before the Hilda regime could get a chance to fully settle down and sink its claws firmly into Miletos, the blonde family of mercenaries moved to the Thracian Peninsula.
While searching for a place to live, they came across a struggling orphanage. Briggid's heart went out to those who ran the place, but she wasn't sure about what she could do to help when they had their own problems to worry about. But then, Holyn struck upon an idea.
They could work for the orphanage, channeling the money that they made as mercenaries into the orphanage. In exchange, they could have a place to live and a place for their children to grow up if the worst happened. The orphanage directors readily accepted the deal.
Briggid stashed away the Yewfelle in a hidden compartment with one trustworthy witness watching, telling her that it was for her son to use when he got older, because she couldn't use it any more.
So they lived as benefactors for the orphanage for the next few years. Briggid stuck to using regular bows and even got some sword training and changed up her hairstyle. Meanwhile Holyn dyed his hair regularly and suggested that Briggid do the same, but she refused. Maybe it was due to that refusal and her continued use of bows that they were eventually recognized and cornered.
They never found out how they were tracked, but it wasn't through the orphanage, it was through reputation and contract. One of their contracts had the caveat that they had to meet their employer on a bluff overlooking the River Thracia. The empire had finally managed to track Briggid, and they found out about this meeting, and so they took the opportunity to interrupt.
Since their employer wasn't the one who set the trap, and he did not have an inkling of the trap, Briggid and Holyn were caught completely off guard in the middle of their meeting. All of them were equally shocked to find themselves suddenly surrounded.
The soldiers parted to reveal a heavily scarred Loptyr priest. "Ah, it seems that we can now check off another two of Sigurd's nuisances off of the list. Hmm… let's see, you're definitely the Jungby heir, and you… hmmm, you seem familiar, but something is throwing me off. Remind me, were you anybody important?" he asked Holyn.
"Does it matter?" growled Holyn
"I suppose not." said the priest, shrugging. "Kill them. Kill them all. We can sort out the two men later."
The enemy advanced and Briggid and Holyn readied their weapons. Their would-be employer panicked and instead of doing the smart thing and getting behind them, he tried to run. This resulted in him getting killed almost immediately. Briggid and Holyn, meanwhile, held their ground successfully. Holyn told her to cover his back while he advanced on the priest.
"I should've known that I'd have to do this myself." muttered the priest, and he began casting spells at Holyn while he stood at a distance.
"Seriously? Is that all you can do?" called out Holyn as he dodged and took down any knights who stood in his way "Why can't you Loptyr priests try any knew tricks?"
The priest sighed as he ducked away from one of Briggid's arrows. "A valid criticism. As a whole, the Loptyr sect relies on tradition and old values and three basic spells…"
Holyn came in close and leaped at the priest. His sword's decent was suddenly stopped, however, by a purple bubble that materialized around the priest's body "I, on the other hand, am I actually taking this opportunity to test run a few things." said the priest smugly. He suddenly grabbed Holyn's hands at the point where they were gripping his sword. A burning sensation forced him to drop his sword.
The priest pulled his right arm back and a purple aura surrounded it, taking the shape of a sword. He quickly thrust it into Holyn's stomach. Briggid screamed Holyn's name and began firing arrows rapid fire at the priest, but they simply bounced off the bubble. "I guess that these are keepers." said the priest, grinning maniacally, driving the sword deeper.
Briggid roared in grief and frustration and tried to strike him with her bow. The priest dodged, then he threw Holyn's body on top of her. "There. Say your goodbyes while I decide how to finish you off." redirecting his attention to his arm he muttered "Now, I should get some more variety out of this attack. I wonder how big a weapon I can create that would still be practical."
The purple sword shimmered and morphed and expanded until it turned into a gigantic hammer. The priest whistled in awe, then looked up to see Briggid charging at him and almost on top of him. Hardly thinking about what he was doing, he swung with his hammer arm.
He struck her across her right temple and sent her flying. Upon hitting the ground, her quiver shattered, spilling its contents across the ground. She also dropped her bow in the process.
But her journey didn't end there, because she bounced all the way to the cliff's edge. Still conscious, she tried to crawl, but the ledge she had landed on was to fragile, and it collapsed, sending her tumbling her head over heels into the River Thracia below.
She struggled to the surface and began to float. Even in her injured, exhausted, and grief-stricken state, she was still thinking of a way to get out of the river and back to her children. Then, she heard a loud noise. She looked downriver. "OH FUCK. The rapids." were her last thoughts before she was swept into the current and into their midst.
At one point, she thought that she could stand up and grab a large rock jutting out from the shore. But when she tried this, she felt her legs hit something solid and snap. She was then dragged under water and then under a rock. The last thing that she felt other than the sensation of drowning and darkness overwhelming her was the feeling of her holy mark burning.
Her holy mark was burning in a fashion similar to how it had always felt whenever the Yewfelle had been about to heal her…