Private Tales Dangerous Ground

[Cillian]

Cillian chuckled as the kids were shooed off to bed and took the opportunity to pour himself a glass of that whisky. He pushed himself to his feet and tugged out the tankard he kept in his satchel along with the bottle then meandered his way back to the fire. By the time Sierra came back he had poured himself quite the generous nightcap and was sipping on it with the satisfied look of a cat who had most certainly got the cream.

"I cannae control wha' story they pick, Duchess," he gave her an innocent look over the rim of his wooden cup. "'nd it just happens tha' tha' one came wit' some theatrics," the look of angelic sweetness slipped as his lips half lifted into a hint of a smirk. Some of his stories did come with a little flare but that one most certainly did not more often than not. He had just wanted to show off for the kids, and he weren't ashamed to admit that.

"'ave a seat lass, relax. I suppose you don' ge' many opportunities to do that," he raised a brow and then passed her the bottle for her own mug.

 

[Sierra]

"Oh it just happened, HMM?" A look like she clearly wasn't buying his dandy excuses. Head just shook and another roll of her eyes heavenward as if she were silently pleading to some higher power's help. Or blaming them.

"At least is helps distract them," she finally mused, a hand dragging down her face. After a half-second of hesitation, she took the offered bottle. She gave a sniff of the top experimentally.

"You're not going to drug me and try to whisk me off to some magical land, are you?" A mild smirk as she finally tipped the bottle to fill up her own mug and handed it back to him. "And no," she rubbed the back of her neck and did sit. "Dreadlords don't really get to relax. Especially not traitor ones. And not mom-ones." She took a sip, savoring the way it burned down her throat.

"You make this yourself or is there some elaborate story of you winning this off a troll and his pixie wife?"

 

[Cillian]

Cillian took the bottle back and gave a low chuckle at the accusation.

"I dinnae think I would 'ave tae drug ye to ge' ye to come away with me," he looked up at her over the flames which seemed to reflect in the golden pools. His smile might have seemed cocky but there was something in his eyes that was almost... an offer. If she had wanted to never go back to Vel'Anir all she had to do was make a wish after all, and he would see it was done. He didn't say it outloud even though he wanted her to say it. Mothers didn't abandon their children.

"I brought tae booze, tank ye very much," he huffed and ran a hand through his curls. "I ain't tah criminal ye knows. I do work," though he hadn't always. There had been a time where he had lived off of his luck and chased booze, danger and women till he could barely tell one from the other. That had been centuries ago though. Now, Cillian prided himself on being an honest lad.

 

[Sierra]

She took another drag of that whiskey. A look at him over the rim of her cup. "You don't think so? Maybe you wish that was true," a sly smile. But no. She'd never leave Rose. And she didn't know if she'd knowingly make a wish. Perhaps her tongue would slip one day.

But this kind of ancient magic?

She didn't want to cross it.

If she ever had to, perhaps for Rose. As a last resort. Anything to keep her safe. Anything to keep her daughter from following in her footsteps. And she was too invested in Vel Anir to leave the city. Those people that weren't as fortunate as Jacob and Kristine. The ones she couldn't get out. The ones that didn't know enough to ask to get out.

A quiet laugh at his next protest. Her head tipped back to look at the stars before finding those golden eyes of his. "I don't think you're a criminal. I think you're the first fae I've met with the biggest heart out of anyone I know. You do more than dally with adventure and mischief." The problem with looking at his eyes was that they only pulled her in. Warmed her up.

Hell, must be the whiskey.

She looked toward the fire before she could drown in gold. "Y'know. If you're ever looking for another job and you can fit it in between selling shoes...I could really use someone like you to help run these kids out of Vel Anir." A hesitant but hopeful offer.

 

[Cillian]

Cillian didn't point out the fact he was the only fae she had likely met. Or at least, knowingly met. Fae liked to blend in with the human popular when they were taunting it, or if they were Little Folk they employed glamours to never be seen. It was only the powerful, important fae - the dangerous ones - who walked openly amongst mortals as though they didn't care. The truth was they probably didn't either. He had crossed paths with some who were so old they made even his bones ache, and the power that came off them...

He was lost in the line of thought whilst sipping on his whisky that her question caught him completely off guard. For a moment, the golden tongued leprechaun forgot how to speak. Help smuggle potential Dreadlords out of Vel Anir? Well that was just asking for trouble. Trouble was, of course, his middle name but in his old age he had been trying to cut back on just how much of that he got himself muddled up into. Yet, those eyes... they were like lakes on a winters morn and he found himself wanting to break the ice to see what was beneath.

"Well... I'm sure I can 'elp when I'm in tae neighbourhood... Vel'Anir is usually a good place tae stop in me trade between the West and East."

 

[Sierra]

Sierra didn't know what she'd been expecting. And again, she was surprised that she'd even asked, even as she felt that whiskey warming her up. Perhaps she'd thought he would've flat out refused. It was never safe for non-humans to stick in the city for long and those eyes of his were sure to draw attention.

Amidst some of his...other features.

"Okay," she breathed. "It'll be dangerous," she gently reminded the leprechaun. "I'm sure you know what they'll do to you if you get caught." Lips pressed thin as she set the mug of whiskey down beside her and reached up behind her neck. "You're under no obligation but...," she pulled off a leather band with a small phoenix charm hanging from the cord. She held it out between them. "If you're sure, this is charmed to reach a twin I have. Just run your thumb along this feather, here," she pointed, "and it will let me know you're in the city."

She hesitated, ready to pull the necklace back.

Again, giving him the option to refuse.

 

[Cillian]

There was no hesitation as Cillian reached out to take the necklace. A way to tell her he was in the city was the only thing he cared about. Well, no, that was a lie there was a part of him who cared about the children and helping them to live a normal life. But the eyes like perfect chips of iced diamonds were the real reason. Would he ever get them to melt? Carefully he slid the thonging over his head and let the talisman fall into the centre of his chest. It was a little higher up on him, dangling just below the lucky penny he wore tightly around his throat, but then he supposed it was designed for a slimmer frame than his.

"Well there'll be no gettin' away from me now Duchess," he smirked and leaned back as though he had won some sort of game. He felt like he had in a way. "O' course, you know the way to reach me is tae wish upon a penny an' throw it in flowing water," it was an old wives tale but one that held a lot of merit. They were connected now with this meeting and so he would feel her wish more strongly.

Of course, she probably thought he was crazy.

 

[Sierra]

A low, husky laugh and then a once-over his way.

Auburn brows lofted on light skin.

Was he joking?

"Even works on Anirian coin? Do I have to say any special words?" She leaned back as well, falling next to the leprechaun in the grass. It was soft, cool, and warm at once. A clear night. She wasn't sure if that was part of the spell around this place - the magic. Or, if it really was clear beyond their little bubble.

"Something like, I wish that cocky, devilishly handsome leprechaun was here?"

The whiskey let a compliment slip even as she grinned up at the moon.

 

[Cillian]

"Aye, tha' should do it, Duchess. There ain't t'any o'er leprechauns tha' match tha' description roamin' these parts," he spoke with all sincerity until the last word where his face split into another smug smirk. So she thought he was devillishly handsome, eh? Well it was a compliment he had had before but not usually from the women he was most often interested in. There was just something about a lass who would slap him ten yards to kingdom come before admitting she was interested that made it far more pleasing to Cillian.

He took another sip of his whisky.

"So wha' is it ye do in the Dreadlords, I dinnae see a House symbol," though it would probably be foolish for her to wear one when smuggling children out of the city. Still, he would have thought it harder for those Dreadlords to work the underrealms.

 

[Sierra]

She folded her hands across her stomach, letting her eyes lazily close. The warm, summer breeze caressing her face in their bubble in the middle of a coming winter. Eyes cracked open at his question, head turning in the grass to look at his profile. He knew a lot about Dreadlords and how they did things. Then again, considering how much he traveled and how gods forsaken old he was, she shouldn't be surprised.

She imagined he knew a great deal about a lot of things.

A breath through her nose. "I pledged to the Academy," she said quietly, eyes dragging away from his outline and back up to the stars above. "Hide in plain sight. Access to the kids. It was a bold pledge but luckily someone else in my class made an even stranger pledge, choosing the Guard over any other house."

Thoughts drifted briefly to Talus and his Zana. Their talk of revolution. Something else she'd be willing to be involved in, when the time came. If she could, she'd work to get Rose out of the city before things went down. But it would be tricky.

"With how much you know I'm surprised you came to Vel Anir at all to spread your wishes. What made you risk the visit?"

 

[Cillian]

"It's like a calling," Cillian said slowly.

He had tried to explain fae magic - his in particular - many times and it never got easier. There were layers and layers of different intricate details that went into how he was able to do what he did and why it was a bit of a curse as well as a gift at times. He took another swig of the drink to lend himself some courage then ploughed on with the best explanation he could muster.

"When someone makes a wish there is like this li'l tug in me mind, an urge tae go towards it. Small wishes are easier to ignore - things like I wan' ah new dress or I wish Farmer Kevin would ask me to tae ball - but bigger ones make bigger ripples. Wha' tends tae happen at this time of year though is more wishes and passionate wishes too - ye have tae really believe and want tae wish to summon a leprechaun. And what person wishes more than a child as Michaelmas?"

 

[Sierra]

Ankles crossed and she brought her arms out so her fingers could cradle her head beneath her. A frown into the stars.

"So," a pause as she took a breath. "Are you telling me that if someone wished for something across the continent bad enough, you'd get...what...pulled or transported there somehow to fulfill their wish? Do you ever get a say in what wishes you want to grant or do you have to grant every wish you come across?"

 

[Cillian]

"Pretty much," Cillian sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I ain't go' wings or anythin' like tha', bu' there are roads tha' tae fae can travel through that most people cannae remember how to, so travel can be quicker. But yer, it's... like a headache until you go and gran' it," unless another leprechaun got to that person first. He wasn't the only one in Arethil that was operating even if they were few and far between. He had only ever once been so ill he had had to cross the world to grant a wish.

"Nae Lassie, I cannae pick which wishes tae grant, tha's why tae payments are different," it seemed to be the way wish magic worked. The wielder might not have been able to control what it was they gave but the more they felt the wish was done out of purity of heart the less of a price would be paid.

 

[Sierra]

A low exhale. “That’s some life, Cillian. Called toward the whims and wishes of others. It’s a good thing you like travel. And your magic.”

A short, breathy chuckle.

“No wonder why you have so many stories to tell the kids.”

A stretch of silence between them before she asked.

“If you could, would you ever choose to do anything different?”

 

[Cillian]

Cillian let out a low whistle.

"Now ain't t'at tae question," he drew his fingers through his beard and stared upwards. Above them the sky was putting on a dazzling show of lights. He could make out quite clearly several constellations he had used to travel by over the years and they brought some comfort when he was thinking over the heavy, weighted question she had asked him.

"I think, if ye had asked me when I were younger I'd have said a warrior, or sailor," he chuckled to himself as though there were a private joke there. "But now? I guess... tae only thing I'd change is the ability tae stop moving so much. It would be nice tae have a... a shop... and a home. Tae stars aren't always there tae be a travellers blanket."

 

[Sierra]

It sounded like a young buck’s answer. Warrior and sailor. A quiet smile curled on her lips in the darkness. One that quickly sobered. There had been a time when she was first learning her own magic. She’d been overwhelmed by the feelings of others. Lost in their emotions, drowning in them. A part of her wondered if he’d ever felt that way with wishes as well.

She had to wonder what would happen if someone wished those things for him. And the question was nearly on her lips as her eyes closed. But it didn’t come. Instead, she felt herself drifting off beneath that blanket of stars as the events of the day caught up with her.

 

[Cillian]

The leprechaun lay there for some hours watching the stars and listening to the quiet breaths of three peacefully sleeping souls. At times like this he often envied how easy it was for mortals to sleep. When he had been younger, only in his second century, he had been able to sleep still in such a way but now? Now he was lucky if he could grab a few hours. He simply didn't need it.

It was for that reason - and the fiasco of burnt toast yesterday - that Cillian was busy frying eggs, bacon and sausages which he had taken from his pack, when the others awoke. He glanced up at the young lad and nodded to the pool.

"Go wash ye hands lad, take Kristine, and then this should be ready," he glanced across to Sierra. "Coffee?"

 

[Sierra]

"Yes," she croaked, still shaking off the peaceful sleep from the night before. Who knew lying on the grass would be so damned comfortable? Not even a bedroll last night.

Going to the back of the cart, she took out her belt of daggers and came back to their little circle around the fire. She offered Cillian her mug for the elixir of the gods and began sharpening one of those blades.

Jacob was already half-dragging a sleepier Kristine toward the pond. Sierra knew a growing boy like that would be hungry. Hungry all the time. And Cillian's cooking was certainly making her mouth water.

"Thanks," a grunt to the leprechaun as she got that coffee.

"You know," sllllchk...sllllllhhccckk. Sharpening of her dagger. "You don't have to do all the cooking."

 

[Cillian]

For all our sakes, I do...

Of course, Cillian would never say that out loud. She was a Dreadlord after all, Gods only knew what she could do to him with the power of her mind alone. Let alone those knives, he wearily eyed them up as he flipped the bacon one last time to make it a little bit crisp.

"Tae food needed cookin', an' I was awake anyway. Ye snore," he smirked over the open flames before turning to dish up the food onto four plates. He passed her hers and left two to the side for the kids to pick up when they came back.

"Bu' tae truth is I like cookin', it breaks up tae travelling."

 

[Sierra]

Sierra looked up at him, assessing. She felt those tendrils of nervousness. His apprehension. For a moment, amusement flickered in her eyes as she sharpened another dagger before sheathing them both.

"I do NOT snore," the dreadlord insisted as she took the offered plate.

Jacob and Kristine came skipping up and flopped down in front of their plates. Kristine eating a fraction slower than Jacob who was wolfing his food down.

"Kids, what do we say to Mister Cillian for making us breakfast?"

Jacob and Kristine both answered with mouthfuls of food. "Mmffank oof." Sierra's lips twitched. Jacob swallowed and turned to Sierra. "Can I go swimming after this? Pleasepleaseplease."

She shook her head once. "No, I'm afraid we need to get back on the road." It was better not to linger. They weren't to the portal yet and she'd feel better the further they got from the city. "So clean up your plates when you're done and help pack up the wagon. Don't forget to put on your jackets. It'll be cold once we leave this place."

Cold and dangerous.

 

[Cillian]

There was a sullen mood over the two little ones as they packed down the camp.

Beyond the little faerie circle snow had fallen across the forest. It was a shock to the system to go from the sweet summer breeze to the crisp cold air but the troop were all bundled up appropriately. Cillian breathed into his cupped hands and stamped his feet against the wagon as FrauFrau trotted on through the snow without a care in the world. He wished he had her thick coat to keep warm.

"We should reach the Portal Stone by nightfall," he commented to the woman who sat beside him. Well, two children over. They had both insisted on sitting up front and even as he spoke Kristine crawled into his lap for her turn at the reins.

 

[Sierra]

"Good," she said firmly, her breath coming out a plume of steam in the frosty air. Even though this journey didn't turn out half as difficult as she'd thought. And meeting Cillian. That large part of her was ready to get back to Rose. And she'd be able to breath a little easier as the kids stepped through that portal.

"When you go through, keep the extra cart," she looked to Cillian. "It will be less suspicious if I'm stopped on the road to be on horseback as a dreadlord returning from a mission."

Jacob squirmed beside her.

"Will it hurt to go through?" He asked suddenly, looking up at her. That's right. He'd never gone through one before. Neither had Kristine.

 

[Cillian]

"No lad, it dinnae hurt. It migh' upset yer tummy a lil bu' t'ats all," he ruffled the lads hair with a smile before glancing over his head to Sierra with a nod. He would be able to dump the cart on the other side where it didn't attract as much attention. Perhaps he could even sell it to someone - wagons were always breaking down on the road.

"T'en it'll just be me, you and Krissy 'ere and I'll show ye all around Alliria. 'Ave ye ever had an ice-cream before?" it was an odd thing from Elbion constructed by the mages there but it had become quite popular in the city with parlours popping up all over the place. It would be the best place to go and leave the kids with Nancy there whilst he sorted out their new homes.

 

[Sierra]

Jacob put a hand subconsciously to his stomach, his face paling slightly. Kristine craned her neck to look behind at Cillian as she held tightly to those reins. His head shook slowly at the fae's next question.

"No."

"Me neither. Does Fraufrau like it?"

Sierra released a low, laughing huff. "I think you'll both like it and Cillian will have his hands quite full after you eat it." These two on sugar?

Ha, good luck leprechaun.

"You'll be okay," she reassured Jacob, wrapping her arm around the boy to give him a tight squeeze.

 

[Cillian]

Cillian chuckled and glanced down at the little girl on his lap to give her a warm smile that creased his eyes at the corners.

"Aye, FrauFrau likes a lick but she cannae have much of it, it is people food no' for horses," the mare's ears flicked back and she seemed to glance over her shoulder to give them a snort before resuming with her happy little trot. He would probably get a little nip later on for his comment but they both had to watch their waistlines and the horse had less control than he did, which was saying something.

"I'm thinkin' ye might quite enjoy working wit'a blacksmith, Jacob. An' 'ow about ah dressmaker for you, Kristine?" Lucas was a gruff man but fair and sweet, he could keep Jacob in line as the boy grew up. Sarah was a sweetheart and couldn't have children of her own, the dressmaker would lavish Kristine in the love she would need for the time being.