Stoatorian Guard Rainblade-Ryalors Private Where We Began

[Caden S. Freemont]

Sweat beaded on Caden's brow as the warmth of the midday sun heated the training grounds of the Ministry of War. The shield on his right arm had set his still-healing forearm injury to aching, but he ignored the dull throb. He swung his practice sword up into a ready position and nodded over the shield to the rat trainee opposite him, who was picking up her sword from where it had landed when Caden had disarmed her moments before. Her peers standing in a loose circle around them cheered her on.

"Come on, Lia, just one more round! You can take him."

"He's still favoring his shield arm, you just gotta be fast!"

"Fight dirty--throw sand in his eyes!"

Caden chuckled. "Don't give her any ideas."

"Why not?" The rattess brought her sword and shield to the ready. "I need all the help I can get."

She darted in at Caden, and the pair exchanged a quick series of blows. Their booted footpaws churned up the packed sand of the training grounds, the clatter of wooden practice weapons on shields ringing out. Though the jack was bigger, stronger, and with years of experience and skill on the trainee, she was indeed quite fast, and Caden's flagging shield arm worked to her advantage. She saw her opening as he lost half a second in repositioning his shield to prepare for another attack. Lia shifted her stance and brought her sword in quickly between his shield and body, then thrust forward with a blow that would have been at the very least maiming and taken him from the fight.

"Ha!" she cried triumphantly. The other trainees cheered as Caden lifted his swordpaw in defeat. He stepped forward and clapped a paw on her shoulder.

"Well done, Lia. I'd say you passed your review."

As she went to join the others and receive congratulations from her peers, a nearby bell tolled noon. Caden gave the younger beasts an informal salute. "Alright, you lot. Take a break, get some lunch, You've got an hour before your polearm review with Lieutenant Derby." And I have the rest of the afternoon to write up progress reports and rest my aching arm and shoulder.

He rubbed at the latter offending limb, which protested him spending the entire morning swinging a sword. Caden didn't remember it taking this long to recover from injuries even in his early thirties.

In the office he shared with several other instructors, he peeled off his sweat-soaked and dirt-streaked shirt, tossing it over the back of a chair. He sat with a long exhale and leaned forward to place his forehead on the cool surface of the desk, closing his eyes. Or maybe a nap before reports, that sounds nice.

 

[Daniil Ryalor]

There was a light knock at the door, almost meek. Daniil poked his head in, then blushed and almost pulled back as he saw Caden stripped down to cool himself. "My apologies, Mr. Freemont," he stated, adopting a more formal, polite tone while they were on duty. "I can see that you are at rest. I will come by later." His eyes lingered for a moment before he blushed again and averted them, but didn't leave quite yet.

 

[Caden S. Freemont]

At the sound of Daniil's voice, Caden's head shot up. All signs of weariness fled the jack's face and body as he sat up, then stood, grinning. "Daniil, Mr. Freemont was my father," he said with a laugh as he moved to the doorway. "Not even the trainees call me that. Come in, nobeast else is in here."

He opened the door further to allow the fox entry, then closed the door behind him and grabbed the fox in a tight hug from behind, nuzzling his face into the dense fur around his neck and inhaling deeply. "Mm, you smell good."

 

[Daniil Ryalor]

A small surprised whine escaped Daniil's lips, then a playful, nervous laugh. "Caden, we're at work," he objected weakly. "Anyone could walk in on us, and then what would we say?" He didn't pull away or push Caden back, however; instead his tail curved slightly around Caden's leg, as much as it could.

 

[Caden S. Freemont]

"That we're doing some grappling training, clearly." Caden turned his head to rest his chin on Daniil's shoulder. Though he loosened his hug somewhat, he kept his arms around the fox, enjoying the sensation of holding him. "Did you need me for something in particular, though? Or just dropping by to see your favorite trainer?"

 

[Daniil Ryalor]

Daniil chuckled, relaxing a bit as he placed his paws atop Caden's arms about his waist. "It seems presumptuous of you, to believe you're my favorite trainer just because of what else we are to each other." He paused before admitting, "You are my favorite, though - by every metric imaginable. I wanted to check with you to see if maybe, after work this week, you would like to go with me to a very discrete café that Eirene recommended to me. I promise, this won't be a repeat of the tavern fiasco."

 

[Tanya Keltoi]

"Far be it for me to interrupt such romance, but maybe you could give the name've the place to my husband: I'm sure he owes me a meal or two 'isself."

Framed by bright noon sunshine Tanya stood leaning against the door frame to Caden's office, arms folded and expression inscrutable save for the mischievous glint in her green eyes. Over her shoulder the unfortunate young recruit who had been tasked with walking her over and politely requesting that she knock beat a hasty retreat.

It was a somewhat bittersweet an experience to see and wander through her Ministry once more, though Tanya had resolved quietly to herself upon first witnessing the building that she was glad she had blown the place up upon her departure. The reconstruction was easier for her to let go of, though the uniforms and general atmosphere felt so instinctually familiar it was almost eerie. At the very least in giving it up she was able to enjoy it once again, and such assurances helped temper nerves about the conversation to come. To live was a luxury.

A slow smirk at last began settling upon the diminutive vixen's narrow features. "I can always come back another time if it's inconvenient for you, I know I didn't exactly give you advance notice." Her gaze drifted to the fox, then, masking any initial lurch in her stomach to see a fox of such coat shade with a wink. "After all, I'd hate to get in the way of whatever training this is. Sounds important."

 

[Daniil Ryalor]

Daniil looked as if he might faint. Indeed, when the voice interrupted their conversation, his knees nearly buckled; as it was, his desire to flee and dive headfirst out an open (or through a closed) window was warring with the terror that held him frozen in his partner's grasp.

He found himself stammering, his southern Fyadorian accent, unknown to him, so close to that of another gray-furred fox the stranger had once known so well. "My lady, madam, miss, uh," he cycled through appellations in a panic, "we were just... working on my blade stance, yes, that." It was a desperate lie, but at least one that might possibly be plausible.

 

[Caden S. Freemont]

Of course Tanya had to arrive at that very moment, of all the days and times she could have chosen to take him up on his invitation. More mortified for Daniil than himself, Caden unlatched his paws from around the todd, but kept an paw on his back as they both whirled to face the vixen. His ears flattened, hearing Daniil's fearful, stammering response, and he felt a protective surge welling in him for his partner.

"It's okay, Daniil," he said with as much reassurance as possible, not taking his steady, penetrating gaze from the small vixen. "Tanya won't tell anybeast. She was a friend of my mum's. We go back some years, aye, Tanya?" His tone became sharper with the last sentence, and he took an unconscious half-step forward to put himself ever-so-slightly between Tanya and Daniil.

 

[Tanya Keltoi]

Amusing though it was to cause such a stir, Tanya was a beast for mischief rather than malice. The grey todd's clear alarm softened her expression at once though ragged ears settled into an uncomfortable angle when she caught the accent she had almost forgotten how to identify. It made her stomach lurch again with the disquieting sense of grief familiarity sparks, only more so when Caden confirmed the identity of the stranger.

"After Vaelora died, he took it upon himself to protect his cousins and his siblings. He's a bit more earnest than talented, but he tries hard, bless him."

He looked so much like her; if Dusk was correct that the others appeared even more so, she wasn't so certain how she would cope when the time came. That would have to be a consideration for a future time.

Caden's ready defence of the todd was met with silent approval in her gaze, old enough by now to pick up on the unspoken and wise enough, for now, not to encourage ire by passing commentary on it. As far as she was concerned the interpecies nature of their relationship was of little importance: it would, after all, have been hypocritical at best for a vixen raised by wildcats to make any such statement.

"Alright, alright," she replied hastily, paws raised in a placating gesture, "you can relax. Aye, we go back seasons, Caden: I remember you toddlin' around my cabin as a kit, but I suspect that teasin' you isn't what you'd like me to be here for. You've nothing to worry about with me, I'm only one fox good at holdin' secrets. I came here to talk, not cause trouble."

Green eyes drifted to pale blue, and for a flicker something else crossed her countenance, then. "Daniil did I hear your name is? I knew your mother, you know." A hesitation, a name which felt foreign on her tongue, "Knew Vaelora well, in fact. I'm her aunt."

 

[Daniil Ryalor]

Daniil was slower to relax, but Caden's calm and collected tone slowly seeped into him, loosening the tension in his shoulders. It was a longer process for the identity of the strange vixen to sink in. Initially he furrowed his brow, confusion registering; then it clicked. "Wait, you're the Queen Mother Tanya Rainblade," he exclaimed. He hastened to kneel, all but falling out of Caden's grasp, and fumbled it instead, banging his shin on the corner of Caden's desk. He yelped and sat on the edge of the desk, knocking over a houseplant that Asta had sent along with Caden to adorn the office. He hissed and swore quietly, looking up at the technical regent of the Fyadorian throne in apology.

"I'm sorry, your majesty," he apologized. "I... I was under the misapprehension that you were deceased, and I did not connect your name to your relationship with my mother, since Vaelora was daughter of Tamara, who was cousin to your late husband Falun. Not that your description is inaccurate," he hastened to add. "It was entirely correct, your majesty. Er, permission to cease babbling?" He seemed to be working himself up into a nervous state, judging by the twitches of his tail.

 

[Tanya Keltoi]

Tanya liked to pride herself, where others may describe overly paranoid, on being prepared for every eventuality. She was one to pride herself on having a response ready for any eventuality, whether sparking agreement or ire in those around her. Rolling with the punches of life's unpredictability was all but second nature to one so well used to anticipating its arrival.

This did little to aid her in the face of Daniil's hasty speech. Shooting Caden a brief glance of nonplussed alarm so much as to communicate is he always like this? as the todd stumbled his way into introduction, Tox' eyes snapped back immediately to the unfortunate beast as he explained himself. Slack-jawed for a beat, it was tempting to burst out in raccous, derisive laughter at the very notion were it not laced with stomach-churning potentiality. They had certainly failed to explain that to her; whether it was the todd's mistaken concept or the others' knowledge that she would have a predictable response remained to be seen.

Valdrisk, when I see you in whatever waits after this I'm ripping that other ear off your head and stuffing it up your nose.

Composure regained, the vixen's expression smoothed out and she offered the younger beast a paw. "Permission granted: better yet, just call me Tanya. Bein' dead got awfully boring so thought I'd give Bully Harbour one more try. There's a lot I think we'd best chat about over time, be very interested to know how everything's been from your perspective."

She looked to Caden once again, expression turning to a wry smile. "Looks like you found yourself in some capable paws, though, at least."

 

[Daniil Ryalor]

Daniil slowly relaxed, glancing to Caden in confusion at how the pair seemed to be on such good terms. "Wait," he remarked, something slowly clicking. "You said that a 'Tanya' was involved in killing your father, and was friends with your mother. You don't mean...?"

 

[Caden S. Freemont]

The marten carefully righted the plant on the desk, scooping the spilled soil back into the pot. He stooped to fish a clean shirt from his bag and donned it, buttoning the garment as he nodded in response to Daniil's inquiry.

"That's her. Queen Mother Rainblade, eh?" He tried to keep the derisive humor from his tone, but he was not altogether successful. Caden shook his head apologetically and attempted a grin, though he could only manage a sort of half-smile. "Sorry. That came out a bit harsher than intended. I just didn't realize I was partially raised by royalty."

He cleared his throat. A familiar clenching had begun in his gut at the mention of Vaelora and Tanya's relation to her, and rising anxiety had its claws in his chest. The urge to suppress the emotions warred with a desperate need to tell the vixen what had happened, but with Daniil present he could not delve into those matters. However, there was a comfort in having the todd present, were he and Tanya to discuss their past. It was something he found he wished to share with the fox.

Caden motioned to his chair and made to pull two others from other desks in the office. "Here, why don't we sit? If you can stay, that is, Daniil. I wouldn't mind if you heard what Tanya and I have to talk about, if she isn't opposed, either."

 

[Tanya Keltoi]

Ah, so he was that close with Caden. Small wonder the marten was so defensive if he was aware of half as much on Daniil's side. Uncomfortable as it was for the vixen to know that her part in Gordon's assassination was out there, Tanya took it in stride: there wasn't much other choice. After all, was it not the entire purpose of her visit? Too many years had passed for her to ever feel the matter put to rest in her soul, but she owed Caden as much as she could. Her paw curled, then dropped.

Only the tip of her tail twitched as outward response to Caden's comment, electing to roll her eyes as though the situation was not a fresh horror dropped into her lap which would need untangling at some future juncture. "Mmmh, imagine you can guess just what I think of royalty," she murmured, "considerin' all I was willing to walk away from. I'm sure if they were here the twins would send their regards, by the by: turns out adventurin' is in their blood far more than mine ever was."

By habit Tanya was, indeed, opposed. Vulnerability was not merely an embarrassment for the vixen but a risk: Daniil becoming further embroiled in knowing the fallout of her own mistakes could well bode ill. Still, she had come here to do right by Caden and she would acquiece to his preferences. "No problem at all," Tanya said with a smile, taking a seat with a nod. "Could probably do with that catch-up anyway. Seems every corner I turn there's some other fox what's related somehow. Be good to actually do more'n share some facts."

A pensive silence settled over her for a beat, and then with a slow breath she met the marten's eyes. "Where do you want to start?"

 

[Daniil Ryalor]

Daniil readily took the seat that Caden offered, one paw slipping into the marten's and squeezing it supportively. He looked to Caden inquisitively, waiting to see how he decided to proceed.

 

[Caden S. Freemont]

Caden was glad for Daniil's support, flashing the todd a smile of gratitude and returning the paw squeeze. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to find some center in himself. As it had been since returning to the Imperium, he could only find a modicum of grounding. Insecurities and fears that went as deep as his bones seemed to make it impossible to have any semblance of true security in this place. So many memories and sensations were always there from times when he had little agency and lived at the whims of beasts and circumstances that tossed him to and fro in a seemingly eternal, hellish dance of survival and unmet needs. But this is where he had chosen to be, at this very moment. The Imperium was supposed to be his safe haven, the fox who held his paw a new beginning, and the vixen who sat before him a connection to the past who wanted to make right the loss she had been part of inflicting upon him.

He could not calm his racing heart, nor could he still the sense of wanting to run from the room that coursed through his limbs. So he found his courage and pushed on despite the fear, or perhaps, alongside the fear, holding the paw of his terrified younger self just as Daniil gently grasped the paw of his adult self.

"Okay. This is...this is about as hard as I expected it to be." He let out a nervous chuckle and ran his free paw through his sweat-damp headfur in a way uncannily similar to his mother. "Ever since I saw you at the Bilge, I've been thinking about what I wanted to say, but honestly, it's all been a jumbled mess. I'm angry and terrified and sad, and I can't really piece it all apart into anything coherent. I know...I know I was there when you killed him, but of course I don't remember it, being too young. My Mum never talked about it. So I guess the only way I can think to start is to ask you how it happened?"

 

[Tanya Keltoi]

It came as a small, barely conscious relief to Tanya to see the signs that Caden was bearing as many nerves as she was about this conversation. Having not seen the marten since his infancy there had been no knowing what had transpired since nor what manner of beast he had grown to be: she would not have been surprised if he was furious and ready to act upon it. That he was composed and curious was…

She realised it was refreshing. So much of her own youth, and those with most of her contemporaries, had been mired in the consuming horrors of rage and vengeance and grief. The repercussions of their actions decades past were still sending ripples through the Harbour even now. Here, though, was proof of something different. Perhaps, given time, things could change.

Provided, of course, he didn’t hate what she had to say. Huffing a breath as though she could physically dispel her unease, Tanya raked claws through her headfur. “It’s a long story. I won’t go too much into your dad’s business, I’m sure the history books have plenty, but during the Martial Law he proclaimed I was nearly killed an’ a great deal of others weren’t so lucky.” The memories were fuzzy; the cause for the scar intersecting her brow from the head injury she’d sustained “Whatever the intention was, it was a dangerous play. Too dangerous to the Emperor. The Minister of War herself, IceRain, was charged to do the assassination. I was Last Quartermaster at the time. It likely should have been my job entirely, but IceRain had good reason an’ all told I was still young and green in the role. Such a big job, I’d have flubbed it were it left to me.”

The urge to fidget displayed itself now in the constant twitch of her tail tip. “I knew it’d hurt Sken. The Emperor had made his decree, though, an’ I was a young mum. Scared the daylights out of me thinkin’ what he might have done to Falun or the twins if I said no so I went with it.” The explanation sounded like an excuse on her tongue, enough so that her snout wrinkled in distaste at herself for a moment. “Anyways, my job was just to watch. If anything didn’t go to plan, it would be on me to use my bow and make sure things smoothed out. It didn’t need doing.”

Breath exhaled sharply from the vixen’s nose. Green eyes met red: she would give him her honesty, at least, even if it felt like talking to Sken’s very ghost. “I was at a distance, so I can’t tell you exactly what happened or if they spoke. All I know is IceRain had her sword and was quick. Knew it was one’ve my biggest mistakes the moment I realised you were there. Once the Minister had gone, I went right to the door and confessed to your mother. Even offered to let her kill me for betrayin’ her friendship like that. Know what she did?” She paused; her voice caught for a moment on a sad laugh. “Well, s’ppose you do by the fact I’m still standing here. I never understood ‘ow she had the capacity, but she couldn’t be like me, much as she might’ve wanted to that day.”

 

[Caden S. Freemont]

Caden's grip on Daniil's paw had tightened through her telling, and the todd could feel Caden's shoulders shaking through the contact. The jack kept his gaze steady on Tanya, however, his expression remaining nigh unreadable save for a small furrow in his brow. When she finished, he sat back in his chair and was silent for some time. A clock on the wall ticked, and through the cracked window the distant sounds of practice weapons clattering on the training grounds could be heard. Caden made a noise in his throat, as though he was clearing it, and he blinked away moisture that had gathered in his eyes. He let out a shaky breath.

"Thank you," he said, voice hoarse with emotion. "Over three decades is a long time to go without knowing what happened, really. I mean, like you said, there's what's written in the history books and what I learned from others secondpaw, but it's different, coming from somebeast who was there. I don't--I can't hold it against you, really. I haven't for some time. I found out you were part of it after my Mum died, well, died the second time, I mean, when I was eight." He found himself look unconsciously towards Daniil before he looked quickly back to Tanya.

"The beasts who took guardianship of me until I left the Imperium eventually told me all they knew of my father's story when I could better understand. I was angry then, so angry. For years the anger was all that seemed to keep me alive. If I had known you were still living, who knows? Maybe I would have sought you out for revenge. I had done just as much for my mother, after all." His jaw tightened and he shook his head. He was getting too close to a truth he could not currently tell. "But I'd be a hypocrite to bear a grudge towards you for what you did. I eventually learned through my own experiences out in the world that we all do a great many things we regret."

Another shaky breath, and he continued. "That my mother spared you, even entrusted her son to you in her will, is something I have a difficult time reconciling with the sensation I have of her. But, as you say, you're still here. Perhaps it speaks of not only her character but of what she knew of yours that she didn't take your life. I can't say I know you, Tanya, but you're willing to have an honest conversation with me about this, and that tells me a great deal about your character."

 

[Daniil Ryalor]

Daniil listened quietly to the conversation, his gaze shifting between Caden and Tanya as each spoke, occasionally flicking back to Caden to catch his reactions to some parts of Tanya's story. He squeezed Caden's paw for comfort during the more tense moments, and couldn't quite conceal a searching, interested look at mention of taking revenge for his mother's death. It would make sense, he supposed; the Raulish Flame had killed Sken, and Caden had traveled a lot, so he'd probably been to Raul and hunted down the beasts who had created it, or used it, or something. That would be something for Daniil to ask him about another time.

Daniil smiled as he squeezed Caden's paw, trying to pour encouragement into the touch. Caden had been instrumental in leading Daniil toward healing and forgiveness; the least Daniil could do was provide the same.