Untitled Pt 1

We Are Family

Conan lingered on the edge of the balcony, his trademark white coat blustering around his ankles as the frosty wind of winter came gusting in from all directions, sending his hair flying every which way. Despite it being the middle of the day, the sky was the colour of a Black Entity whose fingers had stretched far over the land, creeping ever closer to the centre of the kingdom. But the clouds were the least of their troubles. What travelled behind them brought a far worser fate. And it was getting closer by the hour. Peering through his binoculars, Conan could make out the lines of troops marching over the mountains, the black flag bearing the single snow flake fluttering high in the breeze. At this rate, they'd be there by midnight tomorrow. They were running out of time. For the hundredth time that day, he stared out over the sea of trees, searching for any sign that Carmen had received his message, or that Regina had even been found. Without her, all would be lost. As his eyes scanned the kingdom, his mind wandered far away, over the mountains and beyond the borders. Planning, rationing, preparing for the hell that was being hoisted over rocks on his black throne of stone. Then, all of a sudden, a great burst of flames came roaring up into the sky from deep in the woods. It burned for a second, then another light, hidden high up on the tallest mountain, began to shine. Conan's heart soared at the sight, and with a laugh, he raced back inside, his pot of excited emotions bubbling over. She'd gotten his message. Now the real work could begin. He raced downstairs to the dining hall, where his men were enjoying a hearty lunch. The moment he entered, every eye in the room turned in his direction.
"Men?" he called. Everyone was silent as they waited for what came next. "It's go time."
All was silent.
Then suddenly the room erupted with the sounds of scrapping chairs and cheers. The men wasted no time in barging their way out of the hall in a mad rush to ready themselves. Conan couldn't help but smile at their eagerness. And he understood. He'd missed being with the rest of the fleet, being surrounded by hundreds of men. But soon they'd be reunited, and along with Carmen's troops, they'd have more than a fighting chance against the Grandmaster's forces.

∞

"Alright Carm. What's our first move? Supply runs? Recon? Battle prep?"
"Nothing of the sort, Rhydian." Carmen smiled.
"Then what do we do?" Rhydian replied, confusion etched across his face and woven into his voice.
"First things first: get a message to Conan. We need to let him know that we have Regina and we're falling back to Storybrooke."
"And how do you want us to do that?"
"Same way you'll use to call in the troops."
"Call in the troops' she says. And just how do you suppose we do that?" Marita spat.
"By lighting the beacons."
"And what good is that going to do us when we don't even have..." Marita stopped her sentence short as her eyes locked with the knowing gleam in the Alpha's eyes. "No way."
"Yes way."
"No bloody way!" Marita cried in disbelief.
"What?"
"Did you really think I would've come here to face an evil sorcerer from ancient legends without an army of my own? How stupid do you think I am?"
"Gee whizz, Carm. You really did think of everything, eh?" Caius chuckled.
"Bet your ass I did."
"Well heck. Looks like we're lighting ourselves a beacon."
"Yes, you most certainly are."
"Then what?"
"Then start packing this place up. We're falling back to Storybrooke and this time, we're staying there."

∞

"The beacons are lit! The beacons are lit!"
The cry spread through the encampment like wildfire as the messenger raced through the maze of tents, his torch burning with the beacon's flames. He pumped his legs as hard as he could as he weaved his way through the mess of troops, horses, and supply crates. Finally, after running from one side of the camp to the other, he crashed through the flaps of the largest tent.
"Sire. The beacons have been lit. The Alpha is ready for our arrival." He panted, his eyes resting on the two figures seated in darkness.
"Thank you, Marcus." The deep, throaty voice of a man rumbled from the shadows.
"Have Ares and Mars sound the horns and drums. War is upon us." The softer tone of a female voice followed.
"Yes, your highnesses." Marcus replied before running out of the tent. There were several shouts from outside. Then came the hard, rhythmic pounding of the drums of war, resonating within their cores, followed by the clear bellowing of the horns. The music, mixed with the cheers of men, whickering of horses, and the barking of dogs all came together to form the song of war.
"It's time." The woman sighed.
"It is." He replied.
"She's doing well."
"She is."
Silence.
"What is it?" the man asked.
"Oh, I'm so frightened. What's going to happen?"
"I don't know. But I do know that our daughters will be able to handle it."
"Our daughters?"
"Her siblings. I know they are not mine, but they are yours. Which means they are my children also. Listen." He said, clasping the woman's soft hands in his rough, callused fingers. "Our daughter was able to revive not only us and Henry, but Robin Hood also. If she succeed in reviving the dead, then she can absolutely deal with the Overlord. The best thing we can do to support her is lead these men into battle, and keep his forces occupied while she deals with him. Remember, she has her siblings, her teams, and my brother is with her."
"I know. But I still can't help but worry."
"Neither can I. It's our job as parents. But we mustn't dwell on it. No one ever accomplished anything by dwelling on the past. We must push forward."
"Oh, Andre. How I've missed you."
"I've missed you too, my dearest Cora."