Disclaimer: Temeraire and all characters were Created by Naomi Novik. I'm just a fan, imitating.
This story is set in the beginning of Victory of Eagles; SPOILERS
Chapter 4
In which Mr. Tharkay absconds with Mr. Granby's worst coat.
When Jane awoke the next morning addled from too much drink and too little sleep, there was no sign that Tharkay had visited her at all. In a way she was relieved, all too often the men she brought up were too conventional to make so clean a departure. She frowned at the painful memory of a scandalized Laurence waking before first light to kiss her goodbye.
Jane dressed hurriedly and left for the mess for breakfast. She ate light in the mornings and this morning especially, she had little appetite for food and more for the morning's patrol. Granby was absent this morning, but that was no real surprise considering his level of inebriation the night before. Lucky he was grounded, she thought bitterly.
The crew was bustling about Excidium when she arrived in his clearing, attaching and checking his harness straps and loading his belly netting. He bent his great head toward her when she was near enough.
"Jane, dear," He said, "How are you?"
"I'm well darling, how are you?"
"I was happy to find snow this morning, though the firedrake has come and cleared it all away. She is angry this morning, Jane."
"That's because she's grounded, on account of yesterdays fiasco." Jane said absently as she surveyed the ground crew's progress.
"I see," Excidium said, "The young one has left for Loch Laggan this morning. She said that we are going to London soon."
"Yes, we will be going, perhaps tomorrow or the next day."
"Then who will guard the Strait and patrol the Channel?"
"The Navy has a strong presence in the Strait, and Iskierka and Arkady and the other ferals will remain, here."
"I don't like the feral dragons," Excidium said, "but I feel bad for the little firedrake."
"Are you angry with me?" Iskierka asked with her head and shoulders close to the ground. Granby frowned; his heart ached to see her down cast.
"I am not," he said as he patted her nose, "but we are definitely in a quandary now, and it's because you flew off yesterday. You can't do that, you mustn't. This is going to be a very difficult post when the others leave. I'm going to be the senior Captain at this covert and no one will want to listen to me if you won't even listen to me."
"But they will listen because I'm the best dragon because I can breathe fire. And you're the handsomest captain too, because you are tall and straight and have fine things." Iskierka rubbed her muzzle against him like and over large cat and Granby couldn't help but smile. "Oh and I saw that scrub Tharkay this morning when he came to pick up his rubbish. I told him to give you back your coat and he told me that he felt he should keep it—" Granby put his face in his hands and sat on the ground in exasperation, "—and he snuck off into the trees and I couldn't find him because he's little—"
"Iskierka, darling, you must be kind to Tharkay. He is of a mind to leave us, but he would be an enormous help if he stays. He can speak Durzagh and I could certainly use the help in handling those ferals."
"But I can speak Durzagh!" She said indignantly.
"Yes but Tharkay is not going to direct them after prizes for his own purpose," Granby scolded.
"Maybe if he did he wouldn't be such a scrub," Iskierka said with her head drooping again.
It was late in the afternoon and Jane was sitting in Admiral Sanderson's Wardroom overseeing Granby's defense plan with the other captains of the feral dragons. Granby's face was pinched and pale and he spoke in a halting and trembling voice. Jane worried if the pressure of guarding the Channel alone would be too much for the relatively new captain.
The other captains were for the most part obscenely young and exponentially less experienced than even Granby. They sat up eagerly to review the maps on the tables and listen to Granby.
The one glaring exception was a man named Curran, formerly of the British Army, who had harnessed a Winchester while in India. The poor dragon had since died in the plague but Curran, having spent a considerable part of his young adulthood in the Orient, was accepted as a captain to the feral dragons.
Curran was at least a decade older than Granby. They were of like height, but Curran was burly and solid where Granby remained spare and lanky. He kept to himself for the most part and only spoke when prompted to, but he had a nature like a friendly giant, and the other young captains took to him immediately.
Granby stopped talking and scratched his cheek absently, waiting for Admiral Sanderson's comment, but Jane stood up instead. She had her arms crossed over her chest and her scar stood out red and angry in her pale face.
"Please keep in mind," she glanced at Granby and gave him a meaningful nod, "That should the French invade, you are to send advance warning first. We don't expect you to hold them here, but fall back to London."
Granby's face was unreadable and the others looked dejected and scared.
Granby was napping in a cot placed near the base of Iskierka's tail. He was still wearing his coat and boots. Jane was frowning when she looked down at him.
"Captain Granby," she said, and he sat up quickly in surprise and Jane was satisfied to see that he was quite sober.
"Good evening, Admiral Roland," he said rubbing a hand against his disheveled hair.
"Did you know that four of your dragons are missing?"
Granby gave her a blank look, "I—well…"
"Four of them Granby, and right from under your nose," Jane's voice was heavy with disappointment. Granby turned in his cot and put his boots on the ground.
"You mean the Persian dragons? They left last night. But Tharkay's gone after them," Granby said and then he shrugged, "I think."
"Did you discuss this with him?" Jane said.
Granby rubbed his neck and looked at her sheepishly, "He does that. Drives Laurence mad—but I don't know any other reason why he'd disappear."
Iskierka turned slightly and inserted her great head into their argument. "Simorgh is jealous that he can't breathe fire like I can," she said haughtily, "I know that's why he left."
"He only speaks Persian and very little Durzagh," Granby said, "There was probably some misunderstanding."
"Granby! We're leaving tomorrow! If you can't get a handle on things—"
"Don't you shout at Granby!" Iskierka stomped and leaned in closer to Jane, separating her from Granby.
"Iskierka don't," Granby said sternly, and she startled at his harsh tone before withdrawing her head. Granby looked at Jane suddenly serious, "Perhaps we should take a walk, sir."
The walked away from Iskierka's clearing in silence. Granby, who was by now quite accustomed to the warmth his dragon emitted, shivered at the sudden drop in temperature and pulled his coat more tightly around himself. He looked at Jane with a hard expression and his pale eyes were darkened by the shadows of the early winter night.
"I feel like you doubt me, sir," he said with only a touch of obstinacy, but his voice was steady now, "I know it's my own fault that you would feel I'm not up to task."
"I know you are capable Mister Granby, but—' Jane said but Granby interrupted.
"I am and I can run this covert too. Even with these dragons, the motliest, most unruly bunch of—I can do this. I will. She's getting better, I promise, I'm working on her."
"I know Granby; this assignment isn't meant to be a slight to you," Jane said, "But if you're going to take charge of the covert you need to know every dragon that's assigned here. You need to know their quirks, their needs, what makes them angry. Granby when I come to you to say that four dragons have left the covert, you need to be able to tell me why and what's being done…"
Jane trailed off. She hated to speak to Granby so, and even more she hated seeing the way his face fell into frowning and submission. He had been one of the brightest and most sought after young officers, having cut his teeth on the heavyweight Excursius and rising to the rank of Ensign while a member of his crew. Jane cursed the ill fortune that allowed Iskierka to be harnessed by him. Not everyone was fit to captain a dragon. As if hearing her thoughts, Granby's head snapped up and he gave her quite a determined look.
"Then, I'm sorry I did not have more information for you," he said tersely, "But seeing as they have already gone I would be more wisely concerned with the twenty-nine dragons that remain, and hope that Tharkay will return with the others."
"Mister Tharkay made it quite clear to me that he does not wish to continue his involvement with the Corps," Jane felt her temper rise when she said it, "I would rather you come up with a way to communicate with these beasts in formation, rather than hold out hope of our dear polyglot's return," she said sardonically, "We will be bound for London in the morning and the watch will be left in your hands."
Granby stood alone in the dark clearing watching Jane's figure stride away and become lost in the shadows. He sighed almost mournfully before turning to return to Iskierka's clearing. She nosed him anxiously when he neared her, and he couldn't help but be cheered by her attentions. He gave her a kiss on her nose, which also served to warm his near frozen lips and nose.
"I don't like the way she talks to you," Iskierka said.
"Ah well," he replied dismissively, "She's leaving tomorrow, and then I'll be the senior captain."
"Good, because you're better than all the Captains around," she said. Granby frowned thoughtfully and then stood and went to his tent. He pulled out his leather map case and unfurled them to go over the movements for tomorrow's patrol. He was surprised when Curran made a noise at the entrance as asked to be let in.
"Good evening, Captain Curran," Granby said without looking up.
"There's been some sort of disturbance among the feral dragons. Arkady has been fighting with Yakub—"
"Again?" Granby said. He stood and grabbed up his gaudily decorated coat from where he had tossed it on his cot. He was still sliding into it when he joined Curran outside and walked with him toward Iskierka's head.
"Iskierka, love, are you sleeping?" Granby called gently.
"I was Granby," she said, but she lifted her head and looked at him, "Has something happened? Do you need my help?"
"Arkady is fighting with Yakub again. Pray will you come help us talk to him?"
"Oh Arkady!" Iskierka growled, but she stood and lifted them one at a time onto her back. Neither Granby nor Curran wore harnesses and they grabbed on to the thick strap of Iskierka's harness that ran down the middle of her back. They were only going a quick hop into the next clearing.
Curran slid down from Iskierka's back and fell onto the frozen ground unceremoniously, but Granby suffered himself to be set down gently by his dragon.
"Are you hurt?" Granby said offering a hand.
"I am well," Curran replied gruffly, dusting himself as he stood. They both startled at the wailing and screeching coming from the feral dragons. They were circled around Arkady and a muddy green dragon mottled with light green and yellow splotches. He had a particularly bright gold spot over his right eye.
The two men ducked just in time to avoid a jet of flame that shot past them and between the two dragons.
Iskierka joined in their arguments, which sounded quite violent in Durzagh. Granby looked around hopelessly and noticed Dunne and several of the younger captains cowering among the dragons in the circle. The hissing and screeching seemed to be reaching a culmination of sorts and Granby shouted to Iskierka hoping to prevent a physical confrontation.
"Iskierka tell them to be silent and listen!"
Iskierka silenced them with a final whistling burst and then all eyes were on Granby. He found himself at a loss and his face colored in angry embarrassment when Curran said quietly beside him, "I wish that Oriental hadn't run off…" Curran didn't have to voice his implication.
"Iskierka, tell them that if they fight amongst each other I will be forced to take their cows."
Iskierka hesitated before translating. Arkady answered her and then she spoke again. Suddenly all of the dragons in the ring were screeching and squabbling and Granby could only stare out at them in open dismay.
"Iskierka, dear, what happened?" He said.
"They are angry that you will take their cows. Arkady asked if Admiral Roland was going to allow this. So I told them that she was leaving and that you were in charge now and they have to listen to you."
Granby put his hand on his brow; "Tell them to be quiet, please," Granby waited for her to do so and then said, "Ask Arkady why he is angry with Yakub."
"He said that Yakub has mounted Gherni without asking him," Iskierka said.
Granby looked dumbfounded, "I thought Winge was Arkady's mate," he replied stupidly.
"Arkady is the leader, all of the females belong to him," Iskierka explained, "Yakub should've asked him."
Granby looked at Curran in desperation. The other man only shrugged. Iskierka turned to the other dragons and said something. They discussed it among themselves and soon were back to raucous shouting.
"What did you say to them?" Granby asked her.
"I told them that you are the leader and therefore all of the females belong to you," she said proudly and Granby felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead. Arkady stomped up to Granby and leaned over him. The great head alone, with it's garish splash of red, would make three of him. Granby had lived most of his life among dragons, but Arkady's advance frightened him.
"Is-iskierka, tell them to be quiet," he stuttered, "T-tell Arkady to back dow—"
Iskierka grabbed him up in her claws. Granby watched Curran's figure shrink below him as Iskierka rose up on her haunches. Arkady was hissing viciously at her and only when Iskierka hissed back did he realize that they might actually be conversing.
"I really wish Tharkay was here now," he muttered in resignation.
"Stuff," she said looking at him, "I can talk to them for you. Besides, he's a scrub and he won't be back."
"Oh, he'll be back," Granby said absently, "he has my coat."
A/N: Hi there! I don't think anyone is reading this but you. So thanks so much. The story is just starting to rev up and I worry that so far it might be a little confusing. So I wanted to address a few items before we get too far along.
1-Slow start. Sorry this story is dragging, I promise things will pick up soon. Don't worry, I don't plan to make a chapter for each day of the three weeks.
2-Book references. This story is written with the assumption that you have read at least the first 5 books of the Temeraire series, though there are few things based on revelations that come out of book 6.
3-Tharkay/Jane. Sorry if you were expecting full on slash—I'm kind of figuring this out as I go. I don't think Tharkay would ever get really serious with Jane. (Nor she with him)
4-Granby abuse. I actually really like Granby, and he will get through this, so don't hate me for abusing him in this story.
5-Persian dragons. Yeah, I'm fascinated with ancient Iran and the old Persian Empire, I thought it convenient that Iran was located between Turkestan and the rest of Western Europe. Probably the main OCs in this thing.
That's all now, thanks for reading!