Last time on The Stones of Fate…
Spiros and his allies rescued Merida, her father and Lord Macintosh after Jon's Father launched a rebellion against the three clan leaders. We learned that Balor is planning to release an ancient army that will wipe the three clans off the face of the planet. Meanwhile Visilis was injured in combat and the romance between Merida and Spiros is beginning to blossom. As we speak our heroes are fleeing the village were Merida and her father were being held captive,
And Now…
Chapter 8
Bad Blood
Merida was about to let her arrow fly when the carriage hit a rut, everyone yelped as they were thrown about, Merida cursed and was forced to reset her aim, but the man in suit had already landed, just barely missing the carriage.
Angus was now running at full speed, but the man in the suit was close behind.
"Anytime now!" Young Macintosh hissed.
The Princess just rolled her eyes; she would fire when she was ready.
The machine lunged at them, and in doing so, exposed its vulnerable power crystal. Merida took aim, but the machine dropped back before she could draw a bead on the target.
The carriage suddenly veered to the left, but the machine managed to keep pace with them.
Merida took aim as the man in suit raised his own ranged weapon, the flamethrower.
She still couldn't get an angle on the crystal, so she settled for the end of the flamethrower instead.
Our heroine let her arrow fly, and it flew to its target perfectly, lodging itself in the slot at end of the flamethrower. Now the weapon would not work. Well, that's what she thought anyway. Instead the man tried to fire any way, but the arrow she had lodged in the weapon caused the flames to engulf the inside of the flamethrower. The flames then traveled up the tubes that connected it to the large tank on the suit's back.
The entire suit exploded.
Green fire engulfed the entire suit, and the screams of the man operating it were loud as he jumped from the suit's inner workings and into a nearby puddle in an effort to extinguish the flames that had engulfed him. The entire machine collapsed into the mud with a mighty THUD.
Spiros told Fergus to stop the carriage and the King obliged, bringing the carriage to a halt on the side of the road.
The Vanguard hopped out of the carriage and went off to talk to the suit's operator.
Meanwhile, Seona was preparing to reveal herself to her sister.
"Nice job." She told her.
"Thanks." Merida replied.
Seona took a deep breath.
"I feel like I've met you before." Merida murmured before her sister could continue.
"You have, we...used to be close." Seona replied somberly.
"Really?" Our heroine asked.
"Yeah." Her sister replied.
"What's your name, maybe I'll recognize it." The Princess asked.
"It's...me Merida, your little sister."
"Seona?"
She nodded.
The duo embraced each other, tears of joy flowing from their eyes.
"Dad!" Merida called.
The King headed her call, coming to see what she wanted.
"What is it dear?" He asked.
"Hey Dad." Seona said, her voice faltering.
He was left speechless as she clambered out of the carriage and wrapped her arms around him.
"Your little girl has finally come home." She told him.
Merida got out of the carriage as well and hugged her father. Feelings of joy overwhelming her. Fergus hugged both of his daughters, trying to hold back his own tears.
"Lord Macintosh, give those three a minute to themselves and bring Duncan over here!" Spiros shouted.
He did as the Vanguard requested, dragging the rebel leader to the dying automaton operator.
"What is your name?" Spiros asked the dying man.
"Shirley." He croaked.
"Did this man hire you?" our hero asked pointing to Duncan.
"No." Shirley groaned.
"Liar!" Lord Macintosh snarled.
"I can make sure you live to see another day, but I need to know the truth. Who sent you after us?" The Greco snarled.
"a man named Tiberius, after I broke out of prison, he allowed me to become a member of a special division in the Roman Military." He said through clenched teeth.
"What does this 'special division' do?" Lord Macintosh asked.
"We hunt down Atlantian artifacts and reverse engineer their technology, creating experimental weapons that we field test against the Empire's enemies." The dying man explained before his eyes began to close.
"Hey stay with me, we can get you help but you've got to hold on." Spiros told him.
After some difficulties he managed to place the man over his shoulder, carry him to the carriage, and place him inside.
He then turned his attention to the King and the reunited sisters.
The Greco shifted his weight from foot to foot, he didn't want to interfere with their reunion but it was more than likely the rebels we're still after them.
"Fergus, we need to move." He said flatly.
"Aye lad, you're right. It's time we get moving again." The King murmured, slowly releasing his daughters from his bear hug and clambering onto the top of the carriage and grabbing a hold of Angus' reins.
Everyone else clambered into the carriage and soon they were on their way to Fort Ness.
"Seona, where have you been all these years?" Merida asked with a sniffle.
"That night I ran away, I didn't have any real plan. The willow o wisps revealed themselves to me and guided me to a cave." She explained.
"The one that we found your shredded cloak by." Merida murmured.
Her sister nodded before continuing.
"Once I got there, Granny tossed me in a sack and dragged me to the Isle of Skye. There in an abandoned castle that used to belong to Clan Hailstra, she trained me to become a Vanguard."
"She kidnapped you, despite the fact that your parents didn't want either of you to go down that path." Spiros murmured.
"Correct, after I completed my training, I was given my staff. The Lance of Valkyrie. Then I was offered my first mission, go and kidnap my own sister so that she can be made a Vanguard as well." Seona told them.
"Well I'm guessing you failed." Our hero muttered.
"On the contrary, I refused the task outright. Granny got so mad we ended up having a major fight. I ran away, again. Meanwhile the ole girl sent a cursed spirit after you sis, but it looks like he failed."
"Mor'du, that's why he attacked us in the clearing that day, I'm surprised though, it's not like you to defy an adult." Merida told her sister with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, Granny likes to train hardcore. It's all about perfection with her." Seona explained.
"What's that supposed to mean, you didn't think I could handle it?" Merida snapped.
"No I didn't mean it like that!" Her sister grumbled.
"Well what did you mean?" Our heroine snarled.
"Both of you simmer down." Spiros barked.
The two sisters sighed simultaneously and turned away from each other.
"Apart for years and they're fighting already." He grumbled.
"Women." Wee Dingwall scoffed.
"Seriously." Our hero replied, rolling his eyes.
...
A few hours would pass before our heroes arrived at Fort Ness. By this time, Merida and Seona were talking again. Merida told her sister about how she turned their mom into a bear and the misadventure that followed. Seona told her sister about her adventures in the jungles of the Far East and how she single handily sunk a dozen Roman ships on their way to capture slaves. Spiros commended her for this, saying that he had been trying to halt the process for years by taking a diplomatic approach. Sadly, he hadn't been very successful. He seemed pleased that someone was taking a more direct approach.
When they arrived at the gates of the fort, the guards were jubilant. They were shouting that the King had returned. The gates were opened and the carriage moved into the center of the courtyard where Fergus brought the carriage to a halt. Everyone was crowding around the carriage and cheering. It was quite difficult for our heroes to get out of the carriage with a mob crowding the exit.
Eventually, they managed to disembark. The sons of the Lords (minus Young Macintosh) were scolded by their fathers for running off on a dangerous mission. Fergus Merida and Elinor shared a long embrace. Spiros stood off to the side, awaiting some kind of instruction. He knew Balor was still out there and he was looking for an garrison that contained an army. If he got that army, he wouldn't hesitate to use it.
The Vanguard examined his surroundings; the fort had a simple rectangular wall that wrapped around a group of small stone buildings with old wooden roofs. A large stone building covered in moss rose up from the east side of the fort. The windows on its far side overlooked the lake. He presumed it was where Queen Elinor had been staying, along with others whom would be considered nobles. The fort also had makeshift stables and a large long tent that acted as the dining hall. Tents were also a strong presence in the fort; they outnumbered the proper stone structures 3 to 1. It was clear this place was being used as a makeshift Headquarters.
"Mum!" Seona shouted, pushing her way through the crowd.
"Who is...oh my." The Queen murmured.
The two began closing in on each other.
When the Queen saw her long lost daughter she turned pale and stopped in her tracks.
"Surprise." Seona squeaked.
Elinor surged forward and took her daughter into her arms. Sobbing and running her hand through her hair.
"My baby...you've come back to us." She whispered.
"I missed you Mum."
Fergus and Merida walked over and soon they were engaged in a group hug.
Spiros remained where he was, outside looking in.
He felt a pang of jealousy hit him.
It must of been nice to have a family.
He suppressed the feeling as Young Macintosh walked by and disrupted his thoughts.
"Hey Spiros, I hear that there's a war meeting going on upstairs. It'd probably be in your best interest to attend." Young Macintosh told him.
"I'll be there." Our hero replied as he turned to see Duncan and Shirley being placed and chains and hauled off to the stockades by a group of guards. Spiros remembered what he told Shirley and went off to talk to the guards.
"Excuse me gentlemen but this man needs immediate medical attention." The Vanguard told the guards gesturing to Shirley.
"Isn't he a prisoner?" One of guards asked.
"Yes, but he has agreed to cooperate with me, he has information vital to my mission as a Vanguard. Take him to get fixed up, but that doesn't mean you can't keep an eye on him." Our hero reasoned.
The guard nodded and took Shirley off to a nearby tent.
Spiros then turned around to see The Queen making her way towards him.
He bowed as she got closer.
"Young warrior, It's good to see you're still in one piece." She told him, extending her hand.
He did the same and shook her hand briefly.
"Likewise ma'am." He replied.
"First you propel our clan to victory in the Shadow Seekers competition and now you go out and rescue my husband and my daughter from the clutches of the rebels. What's next?" She asked.
"It wasn't just me. The Lord's sons helped out, Angus deserves a bunch of apples for hauling us away from that place despite his injury. Merida had practically escaped by the time I got there. Then there's Visilis." The Greco told her, his voice trailing off at the end.
"Do not be crestfallen lad, Lord MacGuffin saw your Griffin go down this morning when he was on patrol. We've got search parties scouring the forest. We'll find him." She assured him.
He nodded solemnly, it was clear he was to avoid getting his hopes up.
She then walked off to attend the War Meeting with our hero in tow.
...
When they arrived at the meeting, Lord Dingwall and Lord MacGuffin were in the middle of updating Fergus and Lord Macintosh on how things were panning out across the region. Merida stood by her father while Seona was sitting next to an empty chair. She was rolling a small silver medallion along her knuckles. Spiros took his place at the far end of the table which had a large map in its center. He was directly across from Fergus and Merida. Seona and now Elinor were off to his right while the clan leaders and elders stood off to his left. Young Macintosh, Young MacGuffin and Wee Dingwall were standing directly behind him.
"Rebels have seized several forts in my territory as well as two key armories. One of those armoires contained a significant amount of fortification and siege equipment. I do not know what they plan to do with this equipment, due to the fact that Castle DunBroch is already under their control." Lord Dingwall explained.
"My scout's report that a majority of the rebels are being sent into your territory, Lord Macintosh, they have already began recruiting more warriors from the outlying villages and are marching on Castle Macintosh." Lord MacGuffin told Lord Macintosh.
"What of my own forces, have they tried to stop them?" He asked.
"When the rebels crossed into your territory, the soldiers of outlying villages fell back informing your main army of the crisis. Then your soldiers marched east to meet the rebels. Who attacked them on sight. The battle resulted in eradication of half of your forces. The rest were either retreated or were captured." MacGuffin explained.
"The rebel's behavior seems highly irregular. In the wars I've fought in Gaul, the rebels are usually not the aggressors. They take what they want and then they lock it down. Defending what they fought to get by using guerrilla warfare." Spiros grumbled.
"This is not Gaul boy. These rebels are looking to overthrow King Fergus and replace him with Duncan. They will have all of our heads if they get their way." Lord Dingwall told the boy sternly.
"Based on what I've heard, these people could care less about who wears the crown. They want revenge." Our hero replied before he began speaking to Fergus.
"Merida told me about Duncan's speech. Is it true you conscripted men from the outlying villages to match the strength of the Roman Legions that were invading?"
"Aye." The King replied, he seemed ashamed.
"You had no choice Fergus, we would have been annihilated had you not conscripted those men." Lord MacGuffin reasoned.
"Is it also true that you did not sent aid to the villages effected by the floods of the previous year?" The Greco asked, leaning forward.
"Yes." Fergus murmured.
"I rest my case. The rebels are only fighting because they feel detached from the four clans and abandoned. If they did not have these feelings, Duncan would not have amassed an army."
"You have no idea what kind of sacrifices we have made to preserve this land and these people! If the Romans defeated us that fateful day, they would of torn down Castle DunBroch, thrown children from the battlements, burned down all of our villages and towns and finally salted the lands so that we can never use them again!" Lord Dingwall snarled, drawing his dagger and driving it's blade into the table.
"All the while you have the nerve to criticize Fergus, as well as ourselves." Lord MacGuffin hissed.
"I was not criticizing anyone. I was merely stating the facts. Besides the rebellion is not my primary concern. I'm worried about Balor. We have reason to believe he plans on getting a hold of an army." Spiros replied, glancing at Seona.
"Aye, Grandmother has told us that the last time Balor laid siege to this land, he was searching for the Ancient Garrison. Mor'du stopped him before he could achieve this. Now, the Demon King is back and we can almost guarantee that he is looking to finish his quest." She explained.
"Wait...how do you know your Grandmother?" Elinor asked in a small voice.
Seona sighed and explained where she had been all these years. She told her parents about the fight with Merida and how she had run away and was then kidnapped by her grandmother and trained to be a Vanguard.
By the end of it all, The King and Queen were staring at their eldest daughter with great disappointment in their eyes.
"Jealous of your little sister." Elinor scoffed.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself lass?" Fergus asked.
The Princess shook her head.
Spiros stepped in, trying to get the meeting back on track.
"If you could save the family matter's for later." He murmured.
"The lad has a point." Lord Macintosh grumbled.
"Very well, we will deal with this matter at another time." The Queen replied.
"Now what exactly are you getting at Spiros, what do you purpose we do about the Demon King?" Lord MacGuffin asked.
"We need to head to the Great Library and ensure that Balor does not awaken what is in the Ancient Garrison. If he does, Duncan's promise of a new golden age will almost certainly come true. Except I have a feeling Balor doesn't exactly care for humans." Spiros explained.
"Stop beating around the bush." Lord Dingwall snapped.
"If Balor gets his way and awakens the army that lies dormant in the Ancient Garrison, they will spread across the world like a fire going through the forest. No one will be able to stop their conquest. The death and destruction of this event would empower Balor beyond all imagining, not to mention the fact that the occupants of the garrison would revere him for releasing them." Seona grumbled.
"Are you sure this will happen?" Fergus asked.
"Well...no. We're going off the vision of grandmother." She replied.
"That old bat is crazy. Not only did she kidnap you, it appears she has clouded your mind with lies as well." The King scoffed.
"I agree, we need to focus on fighting the rebellion." Lord MacGuffin said sternly.
"For all we know, Balor is backing the rebellion. If we take out the rebels, that's at least half of his force eliminated. Then we can focus on this ancient army if required." Lord Dingwall reasoned.
"Balor doesn't give a rat's arse about the rebellion!" Merida shouted.
"Merida, watch your mouth!" Elinor snapped.
"You're all blind. This is what Balor wants! He wants us to focus on the rebels so that he can buy time to assemble his real army. Once he does, rebel or loyalist, we're all dead!" The Princess snarled, paying no attention to the outraged looks she was getting.
The room was silent for a brief minute.
Seona and Spiros exchanged worried looks.
"Fergus, your daughter's words have no value in this matter. What we should do is have the children help out around the fort. Building fortifications, or helping cook food for the soldiers. They could even venture out into the wilderness and scout out enemy positions." Lord Dingwall suggested.
"I will not be reduced to a mere spy." Spiros hissed.
"Neither will I, we are Vanguards. We should be taking the fight to our enemy. To our real enemy : Balor." Seona added.
"You may be Vanguards, but you are still children. Therefore you will do what you are told." Elinor scolded.
Merida looked to her father, who appeared to be in deep thought. She didn't blame him, no matter what he chose to do, it was going to tick someone off.
"Fergus, mark my words and mark them well." Lord Dingwall hissed, pulling his dagger from the table.
Spiros made his way to the left side of the table, his eyes trained on Dingwall's weapon.
Seona seemed uneasy as well, she already had a hand on her double blades sword.
The guards were beginning to shift uncomfortably.
"If you send our forces after some fairy tale sought by an orphaned boy and your brat of a daughter, and they find nothing while our clans fall, my last act will be finding you and making you pay." Lord Dingwall snarled, pointing his dagger at the King.
Spiros knew a threat when he heard it, he drew his sword and put himself between the King and the Lord. Seona drew her weapon as well and slowly made her way to her father's side.
"Mark my words Lord Dingwall. If you so much as lash out with that dagger, you're done." The Greco said with a steely calm tone, putting the point of his blade to the Lord's throat.
"Sheath your weapon boy." He snarled.
"You first." Our hero replied.
The Lord sheathed his dagger. Seconds later, Spiros sheathed his weapon.
"Balor is the real threat, and with or without help, I will stop him." Spiros told the occupants of the room before he turned to leave.
"You'll be all alone then." Lord Dingwall murmured.
"No, he won't." Merida replied.
She then turned to join Spiros. Seona, Wee Dingwall, Young MacGuffin and Young Macintosh followed suit.
After they left, Fergus spoke.
"Have the guards take them into protective custody. Put them all in different rooms and make sure they stay locked up, confiscate their weapons as well and lock them in armory. If they try to escape, recapture but put them in another room but whatever happens they must not leave the fort. It's for their own good."
"I'm guessing you've chosen to focus on the rebels." Lord MacGuffin grumbled.
The King nodded.
...
At first, Spiros did not try to resist when the guards came after him, he had pulled a weapon on Lord Dingwall. He figured that he would be punished for that, but when he realized that he was being imprisoned for their own 'safety' he began to struggle. He was stripped weapons and thrown into a small room with a single bed, the door was closed and locked behind him.
He pounded on the walls for at least twenty minutes , he was so angry he couldn't even harness enough focus to manipulate the elements. It was Merida, calling out to him from next door, that convinced him to settle down.
"Spiros stop, it's no use!" She told him.
He sighed in defeat and plopped down on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a minute before speaking again.
"Seona, can you hear me?" He asked.
There was a loud thump from the ceiling, several bricks fell onto the floor from above.
"Thanks for getting us locked up." She grumbled.
"It wasn't his fault sis, don't start playing the blame game." Merida protested.
"We need to bust out." Spiros told them.
"Let's do it!" Merida exclaimed.
"Um let's not!" Seona hissed.
"Would you rather sit here and wait for doomsday?" Spiros asked her.
"Think of the ramifications, if we bust out it could kill the alliance between Dingwall and DunBroch. That's one more potential threat." Seona chided.
"Dingwall wouldn't isolate himself from the clans with the rebellion going on. There would be a huge risk and little to no gain." Merida argued.
"Seona...we need to stop Balor." Spiros pleaded.
"Come on sis, you need to learn to be a little more reckless." Merida teased.
"Ugh, we're going to be grounded for a decade but...I suppose you two are right. Balor has to be stopped." Seona grumbled.
Spiros sighed, clearly relived.
"Boys, what say you, are you with us?!" Merida exclaimed while Spiros shushed her.
"At your service Princess!" Young Dingwall replied.
Young Macintosh spoke up next:
"I've got your back Spiros, and um Seona...you know I was thinking...if we survive this little adventure...maybe you and I could-"
"Not a chance in hell pretty boy." Seona replied sharply, cutting him off.
"Oh, ouch." Merida whispered.
Spiros chuckled.
"MacGuffin, what about you big guy, I can count on you can't I?" Merida asked.
A quiet string of gibberish replied.
"Translation?" Spiros asked.
"He's in." Merida replied.
"Alright everyone, listen up. Here's what we're gonna do..." Spiros instructed.
...
Everyone followed the plan, they ate a big lunch and went to sleep in the late afternoon. It wasn't till later that evening, when the moon was at its highest point in the sky that our heroes began their escape.
Seona was the first to awaken, she silently made her way to the door and put a hand on each of the iron hinges. She shut her eyes and focused, slowly but surely, the hinges began to feel warm. Within minutes, they were glowing orange puddles on the floor of her cell. She lifted the door with a grunt, moved it into her cell and propped it up against the wall.
She then went to dispatch the single guard who held the keys to the other cells. It was a dark night, a few clouds were in the sky, a weak but chilly breeze was blowing. She made her way to a stone balcony, searching for the guard.
He was down in the courtyard, reading a scroll of some kind. She would need to lure him up here. She began manipulating the winds and with a strong gust sent the scroll flying out of the guard's hands. She then let the scroll flutter in the wind for a brief time before letting it glide back to the ground. She did this for ten minutes, leading the guard through a puddle, up the stairs and into the halls where she would spring her trap. When the guard noticed her door had been removed, he turned to run down stairs and alert his fellow guards. Seona stopped him in his tracks by freezing his feet to the ground. He started to cry out for help but she tackled him to the floor and put him in a headlock. Once he was unconscious, she ran into her room and tore off a piece of cloth from her bed sheets. She used it to gag the guard, just in case he woke up early.
She then took the key ring off his belt and went off to free her sister.
...
Spiros awoke in a cold sweat, he tried to focus on something other than the nightmares but no matter what he did he couldn't forget. He never would.
He had been on patrol with a few of his buddies. They were currently staying in a small village in Gaul. They were dressed in standard Roman military gear, trekking through the forest that surrounded the village.
"Hey Spiros, did you hear about the latest supply caravan?" Remus asked.
"Nope, what about it?" He replied.
"Half of those damn wagons were loaded with coffins. Can you believe that?" His friend explained.
"Sounds like we'll be marching soon." Gratiana murmured.
"Yeah, no kidding." Spiros grumbled.
A series of screams came from nearby.
"Sounds like the villagers are in trouble!" Remus exclaimed.
"Back to the village, double time." Spiros told his friends, sprinting off.
When they got there, several huts were ablaze. Children and women were screaming, embers were floating up into the moonless night sky. Villagers were being dragged out of their homes and killed by...Roman soldiers. Spiros' commander, Tarquinius, was overseeing the massacre. Spiros pulled the crossbow off his back and advanced on his fellow soldiers.
"What's going on here!" He asked.
"We found out these people hide bows and arrows under their beds, and we also found documents that the village leader was trying to keep us from seeing. Our translator said it was a message from the enemy. These people betrayed us and so, they must pay." Tarquinius explained.
"They carry bows because they hunt for a living, and if you don't mind I'd like to see the documents you are talking about before you kill anyone else." Spiros snarled.
"The last time I checked, I didn't take orders from you." The commander hissed.
"I am a Vanguard Tarquinius, and as a vanguard it is my job to ensure that injustice does not occur." Our hero replied.
"Vanguard or not, I am a centurion and what I say around here goes. Now you better start following orders before I am forced to demote you again." Tarquinius grumbled.
"Let me see that document, we all know I'm more versed in the native tongue then some pompous nobleman from Rome." The Greco demanded.
"Very well, but once you see that I am right we will proceeded to burn this place to the ground." the Centurion replied, motioning for soldiers to stop the executions. A few minutes later, Spiros was examining the controversial scroll.
After reading it, he felt his heart break. His suspicions had been correct. The translator had misread the document. Tarquinius must of seen the distressed look on his face because he grinned before speaking.
"You see, just as our translator said, these traitors told our enemy of our presence here. They will arrive the day after tomorrow. "
"No, you're wrong. This is a warning, your 'translator' misinterpreted several key statements. This message is from the enemy but they are warning the village leader that he will be destroyed for helping us! If you continue killing these people without just cause, then we are no better than them!" Spiros shouted as a child started to cry.
"Are you sure?" Tarquinius asked.
"I'm positive sir. Please stop this madness." Our hero pleaded.
The Centurion thought for a moment before looking to the village leader, who was curled up and whimpering at the man's feet. He then looked a Spiros with a harsh steely gaze.
"Perhaps it is you who has misinterpreted." He snarled, drawing his sword and stabbing the village leader in the neck.
"No!" The Greco wailed, aiming his crossbow at Tarquinius. His palms were sweaty, his breathing was rapid and shallow, and there was a ringing noise in his ears but he knew it had to be done. He pulled the trigger and shot the Centurion in the chest.
Several soldiers attacked our hero in response. As Tarquinius fell over and expired, Spiros was forced to attack his comrades. He used his shield to shove one of his friend's to the ground, then he turned and used a blast of air to send another crashing through the wall of a hut. It took about five minutes for the soldiers to overwhelm him. It was Gratiana who finally brought him down with a well thrown bolas. They promptly took him into custody and sent him back to Rome for a court marshal.
The Court found that although he acted out of good intention, he still killed his commanding officer, disobeyed orders and injured several of his fellow soldiers. Thereby valuing the lives of foreigners and barbarians more than his fellow Romans. Spiros would reply that he has never valued one person's life more than another and that he was not Roman, but Greek. Needless to say the court didn't take kindly to that comment. As a result he was dishonorably discharged from the Roman Military and the word proditor or traitor was branded onto his arm.
Ironically, his cursed chain now covered this mark of shame. He honestly didn't know which one was worse. However, the young warrior did not regret what he did in Gaul. He was, for some strange reason, put on this earth to protect people. Although this burden was not always easy to carry, he carried it with a determination to ensure that he did his job well.
He figured it was all he could ask of himself or any other person with a purpose like his.
...
"Spiros!" Merida hissed.
He friend was staring unblinkingly at the foot of his bed. His breathing was subtle and his eyes were wide open and unmoving. He was remaining as still as a statue.
"What's wrong with him?" Young Macintosh asked.
"I'm not sure." She murmured.
Seona then realized something.
"Merida, earlier you were telling me Spiros was in the Roman military. Did he ever go into battle?" She asked.
"He said he fought for the Empire in Gaul. So I would have to say yes." Her elder sister replied.
"Aw great, he must have the same condition that Dad had when we were little." She grumbled.
"What condition?"
Seona raised an eyebrow at her sister before continuing.
"Don't you remember? After the war with the Romans, Dad would wake up in the middle of night screaming and shaking mom, or that one time when he sat and stared at the fire the entire night."
"Oh yeah, now I remember. We couldn't get him to move until morning." Merida recalled.
"Yup, Spiros might very well have the same issue. Except we can't wait until morning. We have to go now. MacGuffin pick him up, we need to get moving." Seona instructed.
MacGuffin gently slung Spiros over his shoulder and followed the others out the door.
...
They were halfway down the stairs when Spiros snapped back to reality. His eyes darted around wildly and he began to thrash around and grunt. Young MacGuffin was beginning to have trouble holding him.
"Put him down!" Merida hissed.
The boy did as the Princess asked and set our hero down.
Merida took a knee in front of her friend and gently put one hand over his mouth to keep him from crying out.
"Spiros it's me, calm down. You were in some kind of trance when we came to get you. Young MacGuffin was just carrying you so that we could continue with the plan. I'm going to take my hand off of your mouth now. Please try to stay calm." She told him, taking her hand off of his mouth.
"Fire, Romans, Gaul. Gotta stop Tarquinius." He told her, he was trembling.
"Spiros listen to me, there is no fire and no Romans. You're still in Fort Ness. It was all just a nightmare. Focus on me, you trust me...right?" She asked.
He nodded.
"Do you trust the others?"
He nodded, with slight hesitation.
"Then you are a part of our family now. Where we're going, there is no one we can rely on other then each other. We need to stop Balor and we cannot do that without you."
She took both of his hands into her own with a firm but soft grip in order to cease his trembling.
"You can't let your demons get the better of you. Don't let them control your life. We need you to be that guy who fought the Lindworm. We need you to be that fire that leads us forward..."
Her voice dropped down to a whisper.
"I need you to be there for me."
He looked her in eyes and nodded. She smiled subtly and let go of his hands, getting to her feet.
Wee Dingwall walked over and pulled the Vanguard back onto his feet.
"Let's get to the armory, we have a lot of ground to cover before dawn." Our hero told his friends.
Soon, Seona had melted the hinges of the armory door and our heroes were suiting up. Young Macintosh grabbed his two handed long sword and a supply pack, Wee Dingwall grabbed two axes, a grappling hook and a shield. Seona grabbed her double bladed sword and some throwing knives. Young MacGuffin grabbed his two handed war hammer and a crossbow.
Spiros found his shredded and burned saddle in the armory. The sight made his stomach churn. They had managed to find the saddle, but not his friend. With some difficulty, he pulled out the armor and clothes the Royal Family had given him and put it on. He then grabbed a backpack and filled it with things like his journal, what was left of his food and water, and his spy glass. Finally, Merida grabbed her bow and quiver as well as three or four smaller surplus quivers. She also grabbed a couple of bolases and a short sword. The Princess had managed to change out of her party dress and into a suit of light weight battle armor. Her shoulders, chest, back upper legs and feet were protected by steel armor plating. Chain mail protected her lower legs, arms and neck. Her hands and head were the only part of her body left unprotected.
"Hey Spiros, does this armor make me look fat?" She asked in sarcastic tone.
"Eh maybe a little." He replied jokingly.
She held back a chuckle and playfully slugged him in the shoulder.
The Greco then retrieved his sword, shield, The Spear of Storms, a knife, and finally a crossbow with a quiver full of bolts and two surplus quivers.
"Ok, now we need to book it. Seona and MacGuffin, get the main gate open. Everyone else, we need to get horses." He told his friends.
"So let me guess this straight..." a voice grumbled.
They all turned to see Queen Elinor advancing on them.
"You planned to break out of your rooms, break into the armory and steal weapons and supplies from a fort that is one of our last bastions against the rebels. All so you can go on a wild goose chase?" She asked.
"Ma'am, I have no quarrel with the royal family or the people of this land. However, as a Vanguard it is my job to protect you all against threats that your armies alone can't handle. I'm sorry." Spiros replied.
"King Fergus stated that, in case you did manage to break out, he wanted the best steeds we had resting outside the stables so that he could personally give chase come morning. He also asked that the gate be left partially open, just wide enough for a horse and rider to fit through. So that in the morning, if you had left, the pursuit team could get after you as fast as possible. However, that's only if you had managed to escape. King Fergus and I , would in no way, condone such an action." She told them.
Spiros now noticed that at least six DunBroch guards were watching them from the upper walls, but none of them were taking any action against our band of heroes.
"Is she saying what I think she's saying?" Macintosh asked.
"The King and I wish you all the best of luck. Although, should you ever mention this to the other clan leaders, we will deny it. After you exit this fort, you will no longer be under the protection of any of the clans. You will be named fugitives and will be pursued as such. If you are caught, you will be brought back here in chains." She explained.
"We'll have to avoid going through villages, sleep in the woods, and stay away from the main roads as much as possible. It will be tough, but I think we can manage." Spiros told his friends.
"I've got a map in this supply pack." Macintosh replied.
"I'll look for some cloaks for everyone in the armory." Wee Dingwall told the Greco.
Merida and Seona gave their mom a big hug.
"Thanks mum, we won't let you down." Merida murmured.
"I know dear, I know." The Queen replied, hugging her daughters.
Our hero set off for the stables, when he was stopped by King Fergus. Who had been standing nearby the entire time.
"Lad, be sure to bring both of my daughters back in one piece." He instructed.
"No matter what." The Greco replied with a nod.
"Be sure that you come back as well, for Merida's sake."
"Yes sir."
Minutes later, they were galloping away from the fort at top speed. Merida was riding Angus, Seona was riding her mother's horse and the boys were riding their own personal steeds. Spiros , who had little experience with horses, was riding a young but fast colt. He didn't know his name and was doing his best to think of one. Our heroes rode off into the night, the hooves of their steeds thundering along the muddy road that led to their objective.
...
It was after breakfast when Lord Dingwall confronted Fergus and his wife.
"Two of my guards are in the infirmary, and the young ones are one along with a large amount of weapons and supplies, not to mention the fact that our best horses are gone." He snarled.
"Oh my, this is most troubling. When do you plan on going after them?" Elinor asked.
"I'm having my best warriors ready themselves as we speak." He replied.
"Don't go overboard Dingwall, I want them back unharmed. If you can catch them." Fergus instructed.
"What do you mean if?" Dingwall grumbled.
"Those children managed to escape on the first attempt, they are clearly very resourceful and not to be underestimated." The Queen chided.
Dingwall nodded and turned to leave.
"Good luck!" Fergus exclaimed, exchanging a knowing look with his wife before continuing to eat.
...
Young Macintosh, Wee Dingwall and Spiros had volunteered to stay up and keep watch when the group decided to stop and rest. Macintosh and Spiros put on their cloaks and went into town to get some supplies for breakfast. Dingwall would stand guard back at camp.
The duo made their way into the market and did their best to barter with the money they had. Luckily the supply pack Macintosh had grabbed contained just enough money to get them some pretty basic supplies. It wasn't what they were hoping for, but it would suffice.
A commotion nearby grabbed their attention. Spiros heard shouting and went to investigate. While Macintosh followed him uneasily. They stumbled upon a large group of soldiers harassing a family.
"Romans, great." Spiros grumbled.
"We should go." Macintosh hissed.
"Hang on." Our hero instructed.
The soldiers were pulling a pair of young girls, most likely a year or two younger than him, away from their parents. One of the Romans punched the father in the face, causing him to fall back and land on his rear.
"You think these ones will suffice?" One solider asked.
"Yeah, I bet they will. Praetor likes em young." Another replied.
Spiros scowled.
In the crowd of soldiers, Spiros saw a boy with a Murmilo helmet on his head and a trident strapped to his back. Standing next to him was a girl with blonde hair. It was Caelius and his sister, Aeliana.
"Why did you have to call havoc?" He asked his sister.
"The men are out here serving the empire, they need to be able to blow off some steam." She replied.
Spiros snarled as he turned to Macintosh.
"Go back to the camp and get everyone moving, I'll catch up." The Greco instructed.
"No, Spiros it's not worth it. This isn't your fight." He replied.
"Go." Our hero replied as he moved in.
Macintosh groaned before walking off as quickly as he could without making it look like he was in a hurry.
"Solider, stop!" Spiros commanded.
The Roman who was grabbing both girls by the hair released them and closed in on our hero.
"Hey kid, what's going on here isn't any of your business. Scram!" He snarled.
"You have no right to impose your will on this family."
The solider scoffed before replying.
"My commander called havoc, that means that we can whatever we want to these people."
"Romans have no power here."
"Haha your hilarious. Actually we do, we're the most powerful military that has ever existed. Now seriously buzz off before I gut you like a fish." The solider instructed.
Spiros sighed. That was a threat, at this point he had every right to strike.
"I'd like to see you try."
The solider snapped, he drew his sword with a growl but Spiros was quicker with his own sword. With one diagonal slash he dispatched the solider.
"How dare you strike down a solider of the roman army, reveal yourself villainous swine. So that we may see the face of our enemy." Aeliana demanded, drawing her own sword.
Spiros slowly removed the hood to his cloak, he stared right into his opponents eyes. It was eight to one and there were probably more soldiers wandering around nearby.
"Praise Nemesis, she has led our great foe to his demise. Attack, show the traitor no mercy!" Caelius shouted.
The soldiers converged, but Spiros fought accordingly. This wasn't the first time they had managed to goad him into fighting, and it surely wouldn't be the last.
One solider lashed out with a spear, but Spiros cut the weapon in two with his sword and kicked the spear tip into the chest of another solider. He then attacked the soldier who had originally attacked with the spear. He knocked him unconscious with swing of his shield, which connected with the man's jaw. Another solider fired a crossbow at him, but the Greco sidestepped the shot and watched as it hit another roman in the knee.
The other soldiers refused to attack, much to Aeliana's dismay.
"Cowards, stand and fight!" She demanded.
Caelius charged into battle, Spiros quickly readied his shield as his former roommate jumped up and tried to impale him with his trident. Luckily, our hero's shield blocked the attack. Spiros swung at his old friend with his shield, but his Roman foe sent him stumbling backwards with a uppercut to the chin.
"You killed my mother, I should crucify you myself!" Caelius shouted.
Spiros spat out some blood and scowled.
"It was a set up, I told you people someone was playing us!"
"Liar!" The Roman hissed, lashing out with his trident.
Spiros dodged the slash and kicked his opponent in the knee, forcing him to drop to the ground. The Greco then tackled him to the ground, knocking his trident away. He then grabbed his foe by the tunic and stunned him with a head butt.
"Caelius, listen I'm not a traitor. Ignore the lies your father has been shoving down his throat all these years. Think about it, I would only attack someone in Rome if I had actionable information from my informant. The night of the accident, I went back to his place to find out what was going on. He told me that the info was given to him by a spy in the Roman government. He was about to tell me who it was when the city guards busted in and killed him!"
"What does that prove!?" Caelius hissed.
"Only a handful of people knew who my informant was, it had to be someone close to your father or your family. Someone wanted your mother dead!"
"You dog, stop lying to him!" Aeliana hissed, tackling Spiros off of her brother. In the tumble, she managed to stab our hero in the shoulder with her gladius.
"How could you do this to us? We took you in, we molded you into a exemplary warrior. You were given the best education, the best training! We were brothers!" Caelius screamed.
"If you were my real brother, you would believe me." Spiros said through clenched teeth as Aeliana held her sword to his throat.
"No one would betray my family. We are one of the most powerful and respected people in Rome!" Caelius replied.
"The more power you have, the more people want your head. Trust me, I know!" Spiros reasoned.
"Silence!" Aeliana demanded, motioning for a solider to bring her some chains to restrain her prisoner.
"I do not trust you." Caelius scoffed.
"Then you are no brother of mine, for they are buried in a unmarked grave atop a hill that overlooks the sea!" Spiros snarled.
"I said shut up! Now, you're going to be chained up so we can bring you back to my father." Aeliana hissed, slapping our hero.
"Not today!" Merida shouted from a distance.
An arrow sailed in from out of nowhere and struck Aeliana in the shoulder blade. She cried out in agony, Spiros took advantage of this and shoved her off him. He then turned his attention to Caelius who was making one last attempt to skewer the Greco with his trident. Spiros dodged the stab and cut the trident in two and then delivered a slice across the chest, wounding his adversary.
Our hero just shook his head at Caelius as Merida galloped up.
"Spiros!" She shouted.
He turned to see her extending her hand as she rode by. He grabbed her hand and, after some difficulty she managed to pull him onto the saddle. The duo rode off with a dozen soldiers in hot pursuit.
Caelius looked at his broken trident and dropped to his knees, clutching his chest due. He crawled over to his sister and began to tend to her wounds, but she instead of being grateful she grabbed him by the throat.
"Forget about me, you're letting them get away." She hissed.
...
"That is the last time we send you to the market!" Seona growled as a spear sailed passes them.
"They were threatening a family, what would you have done?" Spiros asked.
"Walked away." She replied.
"Well what if you were one of those girls, what would you want someone like a vanguard to do?" He snarled.
She didn't answer.
"Duck!" Merida shouted as Spiros was smacked by a low hanging tree branch.
"Next time tell me before I get hit by the branch!" He told her as he was smacked by yet another branch.
The Princess gave him an innocent look.
"Oops." She said with a mischievous grin.
The Greco rolled his eyes as the group thundered down the road, leaving the foot soldiers in the dust.
...
Our heroes were soon deterred by a rainstorm, which began flooding parts of the road. They decided to let the storm pass while they had a very late breakfast within a cave. Seona managed to start a fire and soon the food was cooking via spit roast. The group got some much deserved down time.
Young Macintosh and Wee Dingwall were napping, Young MacGuffin was standing guard at the cave's entrance with his war hammer at the ready. Seona was keeping an eye on the food and finally Spiros and Merida were cuddled up next to the fire. They weren't exactly cuddling but they were close enough to hold hands without the others realizing it, or so they thought.
"So Seona, where have your travels taken you?" Spiros asked.
"Well there is this continent out in far west. As far as I know, the only people who know about it are Vanguards." She replied.
"Really, I've never heard of it." He grumbled.
"Well you have been on the run from the roman military. That's probably why." Merida reasoned.
"True." Spiros said with a nod.
"Well anyways, it seems like a nice place. It's probably gonna be awhile before any non-vanguard goes over there and discovers it. Even then it's probably gonna be an accident or something." Seona continued.
"That would be something." Spiros said with a chuckle.
"The guy will probably get a special day named after him or something." Seona grumbled.
Young MacGuffin shouted out some nonsense in response.
"What did he say?" Spiros asked.
"He said the person who discovers it could be a women." Merida informed them.
Seona shook her head.
"It's gonna be a guy."
"Probably." Spiros said with a nod.
Merida blew her bangs out of her face and rolled her eyes.
"Is the food ready yet?" She asked.
"Yup, Spiros have you ever had a kebab before?" Seona asked.
"Once, at a village along the Eastern trade routes." He replied.
"Perfect, I hope you liked em, because that's what we're eating." She said handing out the kebabs.
"Lads, wake up! Food is ready!" Merida shouted.
The two boys were soon awake an eating. Outside the storm was getting worse and Spiros managed to get Young MacGuffin to sit by the fire with everyone else. He assured his friend that the flooding caused by storm would cover their tracks.
"So if we're all one big family now, I suppose we'll have to get to know each other." Spiros suggested.
"Well I know that MacGuffin's first name is Gregor." Merida began.
"Yeah and I think Macintosh's first name is Vailean." Wee Dingwall added.
"Yup, that's my name." Macintosh replied before continuing the conversation.
"Dingwall's name is Eoghan if I'm not mistaken."
"Sounds funny." Merida said with a snort.
"Sis!" Seona chided.
"It does!" She protested.
"It's fine Seona, I know it sounds funny. However, it is better than Wee." Dingwall said with a chuckle.
MacGuffin spoke some more gibberish, pointing to Seona and then to Merida.
"Yes Gregor, unfortunately she is my sister." Merida replied.
"How can you understand him?" Spiros asked.
"I don't know, how can you people not understand him?" She replied with a shrug.
"Touché." Seona murmured.
"You should get some sleep Spiros, you look tired." Vailean suggested.
"Yeah he's right, how many hours of sleep did you get before the escape?" Merida asked.
"Nightmares kept me up." He replied.
"You should get some shut eye, you're going to need it. Besides this storm isn't going to pass anytime soon." She suggested.
"Ugh, but what if something happens." He groaned.
"I'm a big girl Spiros, I was able to take care of myself before you showed up. Now lay down and go to sleep." She told him like he was a child.
"Fine, I'll lay down. I'm not going to fall asleep though." He grumbled as he put his head down on his cloak.
A few minutes passed, Merida held back a laugh as her friend began to snore.
"Yup, he's out." She declared.
A.N- No excuses guys, but I'm sorry this update took so long. I'm going to try and cut down on length to try and get these updates out faster. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I look forward to reading your feedback and reviews!
Wolf out!
P.S- You may thank Sushie-chan for our new TV style into. I hope it made reading this after such a long time since an update an easier task. Also thanks to Lady Cougar-Trombone for suggesting the names Vailean and Eoghan. Good work!