The Tuatha de Danann called the ocean that separated their lands under Britain and Ireland the Iron Sea, and for good reason. Its surface was a bleak, dismal grey and to reach Ireland on the other side required a month's worth of prep and a skilled seafarer who could react quickly to any obstacle. Harry, Siobh and Ruadrí were none of these things, and were aiming for a place that no-one from the Otherworld had set foot on for centuries. It didn't help that the Men of Tuireann were almost certainly pursuing them.

'I think we're on the right course..,' Ruadrí murmured, looking up from the aged map they'd luckily found in the ship's storage. Siobh and Harry said nothing, picking away at the rations that had also been stored on the ship. A couple of slices of bread had bits of mould on them, and Siobh gazed at Harry mournfully when he simply tore these pieces off before eating the rest of the slice.

They'd been at sea for hours now, Ruadrí being able to track the stars better than reading the map. All were still grappling with what had happened at the Ceilí Hall a couple of hours ago, and the hurt Siobh felt that her Father had once been an assassin was still fresh as well. Sitting quietly with Harry, Ruadrí had given the children a look over for any injuries and thankfully there was little aside from some bruising. The most serious damage for Harry and Siobh was a ruptured eardrum each, caused by Siobh blowing up her Crook by overloading it with lightwork.

She and Harry had slept uncomfortably while Ruadrí sailed the boat, now eating their pitiful breakfast. However, Siobh's emotions became too much to bear; she couldn't keep them bottled up any longer. So she shot up like a bolt and whirled to face her Father, brandishing the shattered remains of her Crook at him angrily.

'You're an assassin! Y-You're a-a murderer!,' she sobbed, as Harry tried to ignore everything by staring at the horizon behind them, looking for any signs of their pursuers. Ruadrí, his back to his daughter, removed his gloves and soaked his hands in the water. The boat was moving with periodic clicks of his fingers, allowing him to focus on what would prove to be a difficult conversation.

'Yes..,' Ruadrí confirmed after a moment, '..I have killed for the highest bidder..'

He sat at the front of the ship while Siobh choked on her tears, steading herself against the mast and hiccuping occasionally. It was clear she either wasn't able to or didn't want to ask anymore questions, so Ruadrí forced himself to go on.

'I used to be a small time thief in a village far away from us,' he explained slowly, 'The Men of Tuireann came one day and told me they wanted to rob the house of the local noble. I was able to get them inside..but instead of robbing them, they killed the man in his sleep. And rather than face the consequences, I..I fled with the assassin'

'..Oisin's right, you-you are a coward!,' Siobh hissed, glowering at her Father while Harry's eyes remained glued to the horizon behind them. He didn't know how to feel now, Ruadrí had battled the assassins and his Father, sure, but now here he was saying he had killed people. Not to mention that after the last attack, Ruadrí had assured him that nothing like it would happen again. Had he let his guard down? Had he thought the assassins wouldn't be able to enter the Ceilí Hall?

'Does Mum know!?,' Siobh demanded suddenly, startling her friend. As Harry settled, he turned his head slightly to see Ruadrí nod after a minute's hesitation. His daughter gasped, and slumped down again the mast, shoulders racking as a new wave of emotion came crashing over her. Ruadrí tried to approach and comfort her, but Siobh snatched the broken Crook up off the ground and warded him off. Her Father sat back down and buried his face in his hands, shaking his head before he gazed at Siobh mournfully. Harry got the impression that this conversation was meant to happen in a less..tense situation.

'We were going to tell you once..once we felt you were old enough!,' Ruadrí explained, sounding desperate. Siobh scoffed and tried to rub the tears from her eyes unsuccessfully.

'I don't know what to think of you..the p-people you've hurt! What..What did Mum even see in you!?'

'That's a question I've asked myself plenty of times too..,' Ruadrí sighed, '..listen, it would be better for the both of you if you heard what I had to say. I'm not saying I should be forgiven, I shouldn't be, but it will help you, Siobh, to try to figure out where we go from here..'

Harry found it hard to understand the end of his monologue but for Siobh it was easier. Either she decided she now hated her Father, or if she saw fit to give him another chance. Chewing the inside of her cheek and giving him several angry sideyes, she finally nodded. Ruadrí inhaled and interlocked his fingers, getting his words together. In the meantime, Siobh gestured for Harry to come and join her. The boy nodded behind them, indicating he was looking out for the assassins but Siobh shook her head, her eyes pleading with him to join her. She held up the flower he'd given her several hours ago, a couple of its remaining petals torn off by the blast that had destroyed the wagon.

Cara liom..

Harry got up and sat down with her as Ruadrí began to speak.

'..I had been with the Men of Tuireann for a couple of years before I met Derbhla. I'd killed, yes, you had to if you needed to survive with them,' he explained in-between Siobh's frequent sniffles, 'It sounds ridiculous, I know it will, but each death weighed on me. The others told me this was natural..that over time I'd become accustomed to killing. I never fought the idea, because I feared death and I was a coward.

'Eventually, they told me to go and kill a prominent member of the Fianna. If you remember, Harry, there was a War between the Men of Tuireann and the Fianna. Siobh mentioned it a couple of days ago. Anyway, the Leaders hoped that the killing of this man inside his own Fort would provoke some sort of infighting, since the alliances formed between rival Fianna were..tense'

'But..But why y-you?,' Harry murmured, Siobh busy absorbing all this information, 'If you were new..weren't y-you?'

'I was still fresh alright, I'd only been a member for a year and a half. Our more skilled killers were known to the Fianna, and would have found it difficult to enter the Fort. And..well, there were doubts about my commitment to the cause. I realised when I was scouting that it would be impossible to escape without cutting down countless in my way..they wanted to test my metal as an assassin..'

'..and you failed..,' Siobh breathed, gripping her knees, 'Y-You've both told m-me this story..'

'Yes, outside the tent of one warrior, I saw a young woman milking a heffer. With the excuse of asking about my target, I approached and for the next hour found myself taken in by her wit and good looks..,' Ruadrí said dreamily, slipping into the past.

'Don't sugar coat it..,' Siobh muttered, though the smallest of smiles fluttered across her face, 'Ye-Ye always told that..that you were just a-a messenger!'

'I told her that as cover, but I really was, Siobh,' Ruadrí replied, 'A messenger of death. Yes, I know, I know!,' he added quickly, throwing up his hands at the girl's eye roll, 'That really is what they called us sometimes! And..And it is what your Mother called me when she figured out the truth..'

'Y-You told her..?,' Harry asked, Siobh whispering the question to him as she neither had the patience nor the energy to ask. To their surprise, Ruadrí shook his head, looking at the map quickly before he clicked his fingers to reroute the oars.

'No, I may have had my feelings but I never let them get to my head. Derbhla figured it out when I was skulking around the camp for more than a week. She asked around and when it became clear no one was expecting me, the Fianna realised I was an assassin. I would have been killed..if Derbhla hadn't summoned me to her tent that evening and bundled me into her chest of clothes..'

He paused, perhaps hoping in vain that the last part would elicit a laugh from one of the children. Instead, Harry just looked nervous and Siobh continued to regard her Father coldly. Not as coldly as before, but clearly still very upset with him. Ruadrí exhaled and passed a bloody hand through his spiky hair before he clicked his fingers to fix the oars again.

'..Your Mother told me that I had two options; either I agreed to tell the Fianna where the assassins were massing, or she would dump me out covered in her underwear for them to find me..'

'..and you were a coward,' Siobh finished. Ruadrí nodded, gazing at his hands. Finally, Harry saw that the blood seemed to be seeping from them at a slow, yet steady pace, splattering all over the deck of the ship. Ruadrí closed his eyes and formed his hands into fists, before he put them over the side and washed them off in the sea once more. Harry watched the blood slowly fade into the grey waters, while Siobh inhaled and managed to ask her Father a question.

'So no prizes for saying you were cursed for giving up the assassins?'

'By the Fianna, yes. The Men of Tuireann were too busy being burned out of the forests or being killed on the battlefields. The information I gave was crucial, so there was a small movement to let me off. Not that they just let me walk free, I was rotting in a cell for the two months they decided, but eventually I was released. They cursed me with always having blood on my hands and never pardoned me for-'

'-Will-Will bringing me home f-fix your h-hands?,' Harry asked quickly before he closed his mouth. Ruadrí opened his, thought for a moment, then also closed it and shrugged. Harry felt Siobh take his hand and looked up to see that her face had become flush with anger.

'Y-You were just u-using him!?'

'Never,' Ruadrí replied sharply, 'Your Mother and I talked about contacting the Gatekeepers the night Harry arrived,' he explained before his tone softened, '..but we decided against it. You had both become friends, and we believed the Men of Tuireann were too few to pose a threat. After all, they had never attacked us-'

'-Wait! Wait! Wh-What about Mum!?,' Siobh exclaimed, jumping to her feet, 'If-If they-!'

'Siobh, I would never have left Derbhla behind if I thought she'd be in danger,' Ruadrí cut in, 'She changed my life, and by the way, when we first met we weren't far from a war zone. Many of the Fianna didn't bring their families, but your Grandfather brought her. She's tough, and the assassins wouldn't have been able to keep it to themselves, even the smarter ones like Oisin..'

It was truly something that Siobh was able to gulp back any accusatory words and nod quickly. Then, she moved off and began to pace the boat, arms behind her back and muttering to herself. Ruadrí knew she was coming to terms with everything she had told him, and glanced at Harry as the boy stood up. He moved a little closer and leaned against the mast, twiddling his fingers.

'D-Derbhla gave-gave me this..,' he murmured, retrieving the silver coin from his pocket. Derbhla had given it to him before they had left Siobh's home, something that felt like years ago now.

'M-Maybe she could help us..?,' Harry asked, though he trailed off at Ruadrí's grave look. He put out a hand for the coin, though Harry only compiled when he looked back at Siobh, who nodded quickly.

'There's no need for that,' Ruadrí assured, placing the coin carefully inside his cloak, 'Brigit willing, Derbhla will not need to come looking for us, but if she does then it would be a bad day to be an assassin, I can promise that much!'

Siobh regarded her Father for a moment, while Harry nodded and closed his eyes. He was so, so tired and still quite shaken up from the attack on the Ceilí Hall. Not even the thought of his imminent reunion with his family could settle him, and that's when Harry, like his friend, felt his stomach drop.

'My Mum a-and my s-sister..,' Harry murmured, 'If-If the assassins get t-that base in-in Trollberg..then what?'

Ruadrí leaned back, studying the sky above them. It was getting brighter now, and the grim grey waters of the Iron Sea were becoming a pale silver as the Sun began to rise. As it did, Harry's eyes narrowed at something in the distance and he approached the bow cautiously. Ruadrí shifted aside and looked over his shoulder, and quickly noticed it himself. A wide, black mass with thundering grey clouds swirling around it ominously. They were still a bit of a ways off for now, but this was Harry's first ever glimpse of the Isle of Trollberg, though whatever excitement he may have felt was punctured when Siobh called out behind them.

'Guys..we have company!,' she exclaimed, rooting about the storage in the back. She'd noticed a spyglass earlier, and now used it to get a better view of those following them. Sure enough, it was the Men of Tuireann, who had raised a blooded cape in place of the bright orange standard on top of the mast. Up at the front, his brown hair blowing madly in the breeze, stood Oisin. Seemingly unaffected by the speed of their vessel, the Leader moved his head slightly and stared into the spyglass. He smiled and waved calmly, and Siobh quickly shifted to the other passengers. Two of the assassins were rowing furiously and she instantly recognised the shape of Harry's Father before the Sun's rays intruded and blinded her.

Taking away the spyglass, Siobh could tell that the assassins were definitely closer than before and hurried back towards the others. Ruadrí had been pouring over the map, trying to quickly figure out just how far they had to go. Finally he closed his eyes and rolled it up, stuffing the parchment inside his cloak.

'I need you two to work with me!,' he ordered, rushing to the mast and adjusting the sail before he tossed the rope to Harry, 'Harry! When I give the signal you pull that rope as hard as you can! Siobh! I need you to work with me so we can keep the distance!'

'I-I couldn't compete with how fast they're going!'

'Those thugs have strength, but we have lightwork and we both know nothing compares to that!,' Ruadrí assured quickly, 'Quick now! Pick an oar, ready your fingers and each time I say go give them a snap! Hurry now! I know you haven't decided about me yet, but you won't get to decide if they catch us in the open water!'

Siobh listened and was by an oar in moments, closing her eyes and focusing on the words of the mysterious woodswitch they'd met last night. Behind, Oisin leaned forward hungrily as their targets slowed. One eye closed, he aimed his finger his towards the mast of the ship, poised to snap it in two when he heard Ruadrí shout over the crash of the waves,

'GO!'

Both he and Siobh snapped their fingers simultaneously, causing the oars to spin rapidly and them to take off, rapidly widening the distance between them and the assassins. They bounced along the water, which had become solid at their speed and Harry had to grip the rope Ruadrí had thrown him for dear life. His frail form wasn't enough to adjust the sail, but he was barely able to keep his feet on the ground. Siobh was less lucky, and her life flashed before her eyes when she felt herself become airborne. Thankfully, Ruadrí reacted quickly and grabbed his daughter by the wrist, pulling her down safely.

'They're using lightwork to stay ahead of us!,' Oisin snarled, stepping back from the bow, 'Tuireann!,' he snapped to the remaining assassin at the back of the ship, 'Help me take over from the others and woe betide you if we fail to keep pace!,' he threatened. Tadgh and the female assassin, Tuireanna, retreated to regain their stamina. However, Tadgh collapsed onto his back, taking gulps of air just as Oisin and Tuireann unleashed their lightwork on the oars. The sudden addition of Tadgh's weight caused their ship to turn dramatically and was some miracle that they didn't capsize. Furious, Oisin grabbed Tadgh by the scruff of his neck while the others frantically readjusted, before he composed himself and let go.

'My apologies..,' he breathed, moving to the bow and narrowing his eyes at the boat ahead of him. Oisin wouldn't admit it, but he'd underestimated Ruadrí by thinking he wouldn't have pulled something like that on them. No matter, Oisin thought to himself, no matter! They had four grown adults powering their ship, while Ruadrí only had his two brats. And as the Isle of Trollberg grew closer, Siobh was quickly running out of energy.

'Ugh..my..my side..!,' she gasped, stumbling towards the mast and wrapping both her arms around it so steady herself. Ruadrí regarded her sympathetically only for a moment, as he stepped into the middle and snapped both his fingers at the oars, keeping up the momentum. But Harry could see that he was also running out of energy, red in the face and sucking up the salt water from his fingers. Yet he gave Harry a hopeful wink and a smile, with the boy tightening his grip on the rope. Ruadrí was sure they would still make it, why shouldn't he be?

As they moved closer to the Isle the waves had begun to become rough around them. East blast that both Ruadrí and the assassins could muster resulted in increasingly perilous landings on the thrashing sea, with Harry becoming soaked as he remained diligently at his post. The assassins weren't much better off, with Tadgh being lashed from both sides as he was forced to centre himself to keep the boat balanced. Tuireanna was working with Oisin now, as the other assassin was also becoming exhausted.

Ruadrí had managed to keep the distance so far, but the waves had started to become higher and higher as they approached the Isle. Harry had tried to make out any features past the swirling clouds, but so far had seen nothing. As Siobh mustered enough energy for one last snap of lightwork on the oars, the Island suddenly shot upwards when Harry slipped on impact with the sea and hit the deck face first. A sharp pain shot through his nose and Harry felt the blood soak his top as Siobh scrambled towards him.

'HARRY! A-ARE YOU-!?'

She was cut off by a tall wave crashing into the side of the ship. Siobh covered Harry and took the brunt of it, allowing him to get a hold on his injury when the boat suddenly tilted downwards. Ruadrí slid toward them, however he was forced to veer to the side to avoid hitting the children. Siobh felt the seconds slide to a halt as her Father went past them, locking eyes with him. The ship was hurtling towards the water below like a rocket, but Ruadrí was going faster. If he hit the surface followed by the boat..then..

An assassin..

a murderer..

yet…

…'Wah! H-Help! HELP ME!,' she cried, barely holding onto the branch. She'd climbed the tallest tree in their front garden to try and prove something to herself, but that hadn't been enough. Sat on one of its thick branches, she'd swung herself upside down in an effort to pull herself back up the top. However, she'd lost her grip and was just barely clinging on for dear life. Her fingertips were starting to hurt and each attempt she made to try and pull herself failed, making things all the more dangerous..

'HELP!,' she cried, sobbing now, 'SOMEONE! H-HELP-!

'-Uan!'

'D-Dad! Dad help! W-What do I..!?'

'Let go!'

'WHAT!?'

'Let go! I'll catch you!,' her Father called up confidently, 'Trust me, Siobh!'

With a breath, she scrunched her eyes shut and did as she was told. The air rushed past her, her cloak billowing in the wind as she counted the seconds. One..two..then-!'

She hit not the cold, hard ground, but her Father's warm gloves. Everything came rushing back at once and she started crying again. As he soothed her, he sat down against the tree and stared up at the branch above them. Then he laughed softly and ruffled her hair as she got a hold of herself and sat next to him.

'S-Sorry..I g-got confident..'

'There's nothing wrong with being confident, Siobh,' her Father assured, 'I've been in over my head plenty of times in life, and I'm sure you will be too! But right now, you're young, and your Mum and I will always be there to catch you from whatever tree you fall out of!,' he laughed, and she rested her head against his shoulder, before she closed her eyes..

…Siobh reached out and grabbed her Father by the wrist, holding him tightly. With what remained of her strength, she managed to pull him enough for Ruadrí to grab the mast, just as the boat shook violently when the bow crashed into the water. There was no time for words, if they could even have been heard of the sound of the waves all around them. A shadow had appeared from above, none other than the assassin's vessel! Oisin had ordered them to stop when their targets disappeared over the mighty wave, then threatened each of them into snapping at the oars all at once.

It worked, albeit a little too well. The terrifying power of the assassins not only caused the ship to go flying up this latest obstacle, but over the top of it as well. Tadgh resisted the urge to follow Tuireanna to the side, knowing there was a risk he could spin them all over and into the waves below.

'TUIREANNA! AIM FOR THEIR MAST! THEIR RIGGING! ANYWHERE!,' Oisin roared, the waves almost drowning out his voice. Tadgh spun around furiously, reaching around the mast to grab Oisin. The Leader couldn't resist, as their situation meant one wrong movement could result in him going overboard. Tadgh pulled him in close and leered at him, in much the same way he would do with Harry back in Holyhead.

'YOU WILL NOT DESTROY MY LEGACY!,' he screamed, Oisin closing his eyes as the spit flecked his face. He tried to pull himself free if Tadgh's grip, but it was like iron and the man pulled him in closer in response, his small, angry eyes staring into Oisin's soul.

'Are you trying to kill my son?,' he hissed.

'I'm trying to save him,' Oisin replied coldly, 'If we don't stop that ship now, the waves will swallow it whole! You will be denied your legacy, and I will be denied the satisfaction of killing Ruadrí! Now let go before I-!'

The howling wind cut him off when it shook the boat violently and threw the assassins off their feet. All four were able to grab onto the mast or rigging, but Tadgh's weight meant that once he took hold, the boat was pulled forwards and upside down. Behind them, Ruadrí and the children weren't faring much better, having barely had time to recover from the tidal wave when the typhoon pulled them in. Both Harry and Siobh clung to Ruadrí's front in terror as he just managed to grab their mast, wrapping his arms and legs around it tightly. Siobh's hand found Harry's and she practically crushed it in her grip, though the boy didn't have the voice to shout out. Tears forcing themselves out of his shut eyes and streaming upwards, the terror Harry found himself in was indescribable, with Ruadrí's desperate reassurances being lost to the unrelenting gale.

The wind shot through his ruptured eardrum and whirled around his frightened mind, intermixed with the groans of pain coming from Siobh. Gripping Ruadrí's shirt so tightly that he was beginning to feel his fingers tear through the thread, Harry began to give into despair. Even if the gale didn't pull them from the boat, what were the chances they would survive coming through on the other side, if there even was one? What if the way to Trollberg had been cursed, dooming those reckless enough to an endless cycle of despair-?

A blinding light overtook them and in an instant the wind stopped. Harry gasped and felt his stomach shoot upwards as the boat began to fall rapidly. It tipped forward, but Ruadrí managed to swivel himself around in just the nick of time. Harry felt Siobh somehow squeeze his hand harder, and only had a second to brace for impact-

THUD

His body shook violently, and then Harry found himself thrown sideways as the boat momentarily became airborne again, before it tilted to the left and the mast ploughed into the ground. Unable to take the pressure, it snapped in two and the top half cracked off the back of the boat, again shaking the children to their core. They were jostled about as the boat bounced over an even surface, tearing up the terrain behind it, before another solid thud finally, finally stopped the vessel completely. Ruadrí exhaled and after a quick look around, let go of the mast. The three of them tumbled down and landed in some soft dirt, the sunlight warming their faces or the back of their hair.

They had done it. They had survived.

'Harry..!,' Siobh gasped, pulling him to his feet, 'We-We MADE IT!,' she cried happily, pulling him up into a hug as Ruadrí struggled to his feet beside them. He drew his sword immediately, shattering Harry and Siobh's elation as he spun around taking in their surroundings. They were in a farmers field, Harry getting an intense sense of deja vu on seeing some frightened cattle regarding them suspiciously. Ruadrí ushered them out from under the ship, but they hadn't even gotten a quarter of the way across the field when Oisin's voice froze them in their tracks.

'Running again, coward?,' he mocked, though his anger was thinly veiled as he jumped down from the top of their boat. He appeared injured, though it was impossible to tell given he still sported the injuries from the Ceilí hall. Ruadrí swallowed when he saw two others, a man and a woman appear by his side. The man appeared to be limping, though he was clearly still set on combat as he drew his sword. Eyes darting around for Tadgh, Ruadrí spotted him heaving himself over the fence to their right. Oisin drew his blade, and Ruadrí knew he only had a minute, more likely less.

'Harry, Siobh, go. I'll take care of this,' he ordered, angling his sword towards the ground.

'Wh-What..!?,' Harry stammered, Siobh already pulling him away. After last night, she had figured that this was how things were going to end, but her heart was heavy as she cast a look back at her Father. Tadgh had gotten over the fence by now, though Ruadrí snapped at the ground in front of him, causing the dirt to explode in his face. Cursing, Tadgh was stopped momentarily and bought them extra seconds as Oisin raised his sword to the sky, grinning like a maniac.

'If they aren't stopped here then all of this will be pointless!,' Ruadrí exclaimed, 'Get to the woods and run! Quickly!,' he snapped, turning his head and the look in his eye was enough to finally kick Harry's legs into the gear. He and Siobh bolted for the other side of the field, and Tadgh thundered after them like an angry bull. Ruadrí aimed another shot as he charged past, and while Tadgh stumbled, he didn't fall. It was all Ruadrí could do; if he turned, the assassins would pounce and the fight would end before it could begin.

'An admirable act of heroism, but your hands remain stained, Ruadrí!,' Oisin called over, 'With the blood of the Tuatha and Tuireann's both! No act of murder, no act of pleasure..nothing will ever compare to my sword slitting your throat!,' he hissed, mostly talking to himself as his mocking tone degraded into one of hate and bloodlust. The sweat fast forming on his brow, Ruadrí drove his feet into the ground, holding his sword close to his face. A raven flew low above them, its cry cut the silence, before it slowly faded away into the distance.

And in unison, with a terrifying battle cry, Oisin and the Men of Tuireann finally launched themselves at their target. Before the clash of steel could tear away at his thoughts, Ruadrí thought of Derbhla and Siobh for what could be the last time, and with a grin, he propelled himself forward.