A Ninja's Reveng(closed)

"Well if you like her... shouldn't you tell her?" Clair asked curiously as she sat at the end of his bed. "My daddy says if he hadn't told my momma I wouldn't be here," She said as she lightly swung her legs.

Ronin gave a soft chuckle and drank some more of the stew before reaching for his water, which he drank and sat back down onto the nightstand. "It's a big more complicated than that," he responded, staring out of the window again before he sat the now empty bowl in front of him, curling his legs under the blanket into a normal sitting position. "Did your mother make the stew? It's delicious. Could I have a third, please?" His polite questions were his way of getting off topic. He doubted that this child would understand just how complicated Fiona and his relationship really was.

Clair looked down. "No, my momma got killed by some bad men... Thats what my dada told me." She said with a sigh. "I can get you more though." She said as she grabbed the bowl and went to get more. She returned just as Ava came in from taking care of the horses. Smiling she walked back into the room and took a seat in a chair by the wall.

Ronin had a sneaking suspicion that Clair's mother had been killed by the Templars. They were the only ones who would do such a thing. Upon seeing Fiona(Ava's the other one ), Ronin gave a tiny grin and dipped his head to her to let her know he was grateful for her helping him.

"How are you feeling?" Fiona asked as she smiled over at him. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it." She told him before looking down. She had been terrified that she had lost him. Looking back up at him she gave him a smile. "I see you've made friends with the little one?" She asked as Clair came back in with his bowl. "Here you go mister." She said as she held the bowl out to him.

Ronin had been about to answer Fiona before he turned at the sound of Clair's voice. With a tiny grin toward the girl, he took the bowl in gentle hands and let his fingertips brush over top of the back of her hand in a small gesture of comfort, his blue eyes telling her that the bad men who had killed her mother would pay for it before he nodded to dismiss her. If he wanted another bowl, he'd call for her.

Clair gave him a small smile before walking out of the room to play with her dolls. Fiona smiled as she watched her leave. "Poor girl. Shes such a sweet girl. Its a shame she lost so much..." Fiona said. She was half talking to herself half talking to Ronin. "Shes a good girl though. I'm sure she will grow up to be a strong women."

(woman*)

Ronin gave a nod of agreement and raised the bowl to his lips, drawing in the warm liquid and chewing the meat that was within. "She will be," he said without turning his head to Fiona. "How's Sentinel doing? According to the girl, he seemed to actually be playing with her." He didn't sound surprised. It was almost as though he knew that his horse was capable of such intelligent actions.

Fiona smiled and gave him a nod. "Sentinel is doing fine. He dose seem to like her and I have seen him playing with her when she goes out there with her. He doesn't seem to mind the pretty white mare in the barn either." She added with a chuckle.

Ronin gave a laugh and took another drink of the stew before he answered. "Sentinel's always been a showoff. Wouldn't surprise me one bit if that pretty mare winds up becoming a dame to his foal." Sentinel had always been a stallion. Ronin never had the nerve to castrate him. He liked the stallion just the way he was.

Ronin laughed again. "If she does, that'll be one fine foal. Sentinel's a horse bred for speed and stamina as well as for hard work. If his foal is anything like him, then he'll need a good hand to raise him." He was remembering when he'd first gotten Sentinel from his father. Sentinel had been a young colt, barely grown into his mane when his father had given him the stallion.

Said that the Friesian would be a great companion and Ronin had never had better. A smile crept onto his face, betrayed by the rising of his cheekbones.

You sound like your hopping they make a little one." Fiona said with a chuckle. "I'm sure if you give them long enough it will happen. Fergus owns most of this land here and has a fenced in pasture. I was thinking of taking them down there to run around for the day. If it's alright with you." She said as she smiled. "So what were you and Clair talk about while I was out?" She asked with a curious tone.

Ronin didn't answer straight away and instead sipped at the stew once more, chewing on the meat thoughtfully before he did answer. "Well," he said slowly. "We discussed Sentinel first, then she told me what happened to her mother and then it got onto a more personal topic." That topic being him and Fiona.

Persional huh?" Fiona chuckled and sat back in the chair. "I won't ask. What ever as said was between you and Clair so its none of my business." She told him with a smile. "Clair has really taken to you. Shes usually such a shy girl.

"And I usually scare kids," Ronin answered with a snort, drawing in some more of the stew from his bowl.

Fiona chuckled. "I think she's found a new hero to look up to." She teased as she stood up. "I think i'll take the horses out to the pasture for a few hours. Fergus is out hunting and his sister and her husband are in town for a few hours. Will you be alright here with Clair?" She asked with a smile. "Not many people know where this place is so there probably won't be any visitors." She told him as she stood and streatched

Ronin gave a small nod of his head as he reached for the cup of water and took a drink of it. "I think I'll be fine," he said softly, replacing the water and taking another drink of the stew before he looked to the doorway. He would have loved to have another bowl, but he was strangely drowsy now and instead set the bowl on the nightstand behind his water and settled down carefully under the blankets.

Alright then i'll be back before supper." Fiona told him as she walked to the door. "Mary should be home soon so you won't have a long wait." She told him before closing the door behind her. She then made her way out to the barn with a smile. Soon she was leading all of the horses down the path and into the forest.

Mary arrived back home about an hour after Fiona had left. Her husband Malcolm had gone out to take care of the other animals on the property while Mary put away the items she had gotten from the market. Once everything was in it's place Mary knocked lightly on Ronin's door before peeking in. "Excuse me laddie. I need to change your bandages."

Ronin gave a grumble in response to Mary's voice. He'd been asleep since Fiona had left to take the horses out to the pasture and now fought with the blanket to sit up, wincing each time his wound protested. He grumbled loud enough for Mary to hear, letting her know that he was awake, though grudgingly.

Mary worked as quickly as she could without saying anything. She asked him no questions or tried to communicate at all. "All done" She told him as she got up to dispose of the bloody bandages she had just replaced with clean white ones. "Just holler of you need anything." Was the only thing she told him as she she walked out of the door.

Clair entered the room close to dark and placed some bread and a new bowl of stew on the bed side table before she lightly poked him. "Excuse me sir... My aunt says you should eat." She said with a smile.

Ronin peeped open an eye to stare across at Clair. He was resting on his uninjured side, the blanket drawn up close to his face and hiding his mouth and chin as well as the rest of his body. Slowly, Ronin rolled over so that his face was aimed at the ceiling and pulled his arms out from under the blanket, stretching his arms high above his head in a luxury stretch before he propped himself up into a sitting position. Once he was up, Ronin reached across and pulled the bowl onto his lap before grabbing the bread and staring at it for a moment.

After a moment of silence, he looked over at the girl and gave her a friendly grin, despite his face being hidden in shadow with his ice blue eyes the only thing visible. "Could you get me some water, child?" he asked softly, reaching a hand over to plant on her head in a gentle gesture.

Clair nodded but stopped a bit from the door. "The horses have come home... I don't see Ava though." Clair said as she closed the curtain and ran out into the front room. Fergus was the first to be outside to gather them. Once they were put up Fergus ran back in. He walked into the room Ronin lay in and went to a trunk and pulled out a belt with a few weapons on it. "Fiona an yer horse didn't come back when the others did. Even her own horse came back. I'm goin ta find em." He said knowing Ronin would want to stay informed.

(Fiona*)

Ronin stiffened as he took a swig of the stew and stared at Fergus with flickering blue eyes. Despite his injury, Ronin placed his food back on the nightstand and made to get up. "I'm coming with you," he insisted quickly, flinging the covers off his body and had his feet on the floor in an instant, despite the ache in his side that yelled at him to stay put. "I know my horse. Sentinel hardly ever disappears without reason. He won't come unless he hears my voice."

Fergus began to protest but sighed and nodded to Ronin. Fergus pulled the hood to his cloak up and slipped a hidden blade onto his wrist. Unlike Fiona, Fergus had gone through training and had joined the assassin's but had to quit shortly after joining when he lost his father and wife. "I doubt I could argue with you. We will hook the mare up to the wagon so you won't be in as much pain. Hurry and pull your boots on and grab what you need. She could be in real danger out there..." Fergus said as he left the room to wait by the front door.

Ronin did as he was told, pulling on his boots and pulling his gear on over the ordinary baggy shirt and pants he'd been wearing. He winced when he felt the fabric move over the wound in his side and threw up his hood and pulled his mask up before checking his hidden blades, buckling the bracers into place. Once he was certain he was ready, Ronin headed for Fergus and placed a gentle hand over his wound with a small wince, his eyes narrowing the only motion that he was in pain. "Let's go," he said with a nod, a hand reaching behind him to bump against the scabbard of his katana to make certain it was there.

Aye.. lets go." Fergus said as he walked outside just as his brother in law finished hooking the mare to the wagon. Thanking Malcolm he got into the drivers seat and waited for Ronin to get into the wagon. One they were both in, Fergus flicked the reins which sent the horse forward in a trot.

Fiona shivered as she crawled out of the freezing water with the help of sentinel who was helping her up. She was soaked in freezing water in the snow and she could hardly move. Sentinel had helped her out of the riven by allowing her to grab his lead but now that she was out of the water he wasn't sure what to do. "Sentinel... you need to find help..." She told him with a weak shivering voice,