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lbigreyhound13 · 19 days ago

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What Happens Next? (BOTGD 2 Oneshot)

Takes place after Listen to Each Other’s Heart and The Last Rites

As soon as the Arnasons, Milae, and Jin took off on Daybreak to find Dario, Brandt turned to his daughters and son.

“Come on, let’s go back,” Brandt said. “Your mother is probably looking for us now.”

“But, Dad—” Dagny and Kari tried to say.

“Girls, now,” Brandt said firmly in a tone that hopefully communicated to them that there was no room for argument.

Dagny and Kari both sighed and complied. “Fine,” they said in unison.

“Thank you,” Brandt said.

With that, Brandt led his three children back toward the tents, where Indigo healed them of their respective injuries. He looked behind them and saw how downtrodden Dagny and Kari looked, and he couldn’t help but sigh. He hated seeing them so upset, but he could tell from how Treepelt spoke to him, this was not something two teenaged girls needed to get involved in. He would need to explain to Grey what happened, so that she could help him explain to the girls. Therefore, he kept walking leaning them back to the tents. He had hoped that Grey’s talk with Lila went well and that they were able to work something out.

——————

Meanwhile, after Grey and Lila had their much-needed talk and hugged it out, Lila excused herself and went off to check on something promising to find Grey again if she needed anything. Grey saw that Brandt and Sven had left to clearly give them some privacy and that Shadow was nearby waiting for her. Once she was alone, the Night Fury nuzzled her cheek, and the Chief leaned into her touch.

“Thanks, girl,” she whispered. She then looked to the direction Lila ran off in, and she sighed thinking about her conversation with her niece. She had no idea that she felt that she threw her whole life into the Rebellion. She definitely saw Lila pushing her away so to speak, but…she had no idea as to how deep it went and how lost she felt. Talking about what happened after the first Rebellion brought all those memories of her wondering what was next…where exactly her future was headed now that the Rebellion had ended. However, like she told Lila, she was able to figure it out, and she had all the confidence in the world that Lila would too. With that, she turned back to Shadow. “Come on, girl, we should go find Brandt and the kids.”

Shadow crooned and followed her best friend back toward the tents.

As they walked back toward the tent, both the Chief and her Night Fury found themselves once again looking at the hole that was once High Central. It was still hard to believe that it was gone. High Central was finally gone. Grey was honored to have helped in bringing down the Tyrant...and ending their cruelty, but something still felt missing. She wasn't sure what it was, but she shook her head pushing it to the back of her mind for now.

She thought back to what she and Lila talked about just now.

"I've spent so long working towards this. Most of my life. And now that it's here… I'm not sure what to do with myself."

The Chief couldn't help but smile thinking about her niece, but also...she felt her heart break just a little. Neither she nor Lila were sure what would happen next, but...something was going to have to move in to replace High Central. If not, something far worse would surely take its place, and they would be right back where they started. She took a deep breath. That was going to have be talked about later. Right now, they needed to relish in their victory.

“Come on, girl,” Grey said to Shadow. “Let’s go.”

Shadow crooned and followed Grey back to where their family would be waiting for them.

—————

It didn’t take too long for Brandt, Sven, Dagny, and Kari to get back to the tents, where their dragons waited for them. Needless to say, Dagny and Kari were still not too happy with being told that they were not allowed to go help the Arnasons, and Brandt found himself sighing when he watched them plop down next to their dragons.

“What’s the big deal?” Sven said as he eyed his sisters while sitting down next to them. “You guys already fought in a huge battle anyway.”

“Easy for you to say,” Kari said. “You got to join the rebellion. Dagny and I just get told that we’re children…as if we didn’t just help bring down High Central.”

Brandt couldn’t help but sigh realizing where his youngest daughter was coming from. He then knelt down in front of both of them. “Girls, listen,” he said, “I understand why you’re both upset, and I’m proud of you for wanting to help. Your mother and I are very proud of both of you for what you’ve done for the rebellion today.”

Dagny looked up at her father through her bangs. “But…?” she said urging Brandt to continue.

“But—” Brandt began.

“Hey, there’s Mom and Shadow!” Sven interjected.

Brandt, Dagny, and Kari all looked up and turned only to see that Sven was right. Grey and Shadow were walking toward them, and Brandt was able to see that Grey seemed a little more at ease, which brought a smile to his face.

“There you are!” Brandt said happily.

“Here I am!” Grey said as she and Shadow walked over to their family. She furrowed her eyebrows together when she noticed that her son appeared to be at ease lounging against Pyro and that her husband was kneeling in front of her daughters, who appeared upset for some reason. “W-What’s going on? Did you girls find Liam?”

“Yeah, we found him,” Kari said sadly, “but it didn’t last long.”

“Why not?” Grey asked as she came up next to Brandt and knelt down in front of the girls.

“Well,” Dagny began as she relaxed and sat up, “while we were talking to him, Uncle Vox said that Dario was missing. So he, Aunt Tree, Liam, Kendra, Milae, and Jin were all going to go look for him. Kari and I wanted to go help them, but—”

“—they wouldn’t let us come,” Kari continued. “Milae said that we were children, and then Dad and Sven came along. Aunt Tree told Dad, and Dad wouldn’t let us go either.”

Grey looked to Brandt silently asking to fill her in as she couldn’t help but worry for her former comrades.

“Tree didn’t say much,” Brandt began. “Just that Dario was in trouble…and that Nala was involved. Then she asked to take them back before they followed them. I don’t know her well, but from what I heard, it didn’t sound like something two teenaged girls should get involved in.”

Grey nodded in understanding silently reminding herself to thank Tree for looking out for her daughters. Tree and Vox’s children were older than hers. Needless to say, Dagny and Kari wouldn’t have been able to deal with whatever Nala and Dario were involved in. Grey didn’t need to know the details. She knew Nala long enough to know that whatever the former Warden was involved in wasn’t for the faint of heart.

“But Milae called us ‘children,’” Kari interjected before Grey could say anything. “We’re not children. We helped you guys escape when the pirates took over. We just helped defeat High Central.”

Grey sighed. “Look, girls,” she said, “Dad and I both get where you’re coming from. You both—all three of you,” she looked to Sven to make sure he understood he was included as well, “were very brave and were very helpful to the Rebellion tonight, and we are very proud of you all.”

Dagny couldn’t help but give a small smile to her mother hearing how proud she and Brandt were of them. However, she sensed that there was more Grey was going to say. “But…?” she asked urging Grey to continue.

“But…you may be right,” Grey said. “You’re aren’t children. You’re teenagers. In fact, you’re around the same age I was when I first encountered High Central. You’re a little bit older than I was when Shadow and I encountered the dragon hunters, but there are some things that you’re still not ready for.” She thought back on her encounter with Vali Grimborn and his gang of dragon hunters when she was only 13…her uncle being arrested when she was only 14 because he helped Leif…Leif tragically being murdered by those mercenaries when she was only 16. She hated the idea of her children ever encountering something like that. Those experiences gave her fair share of nightmares even if Leif and her uncle motivated her to do something about Central, but at the same time, she was grateful as it allowed her to understand just where her parents were coming from and allowed her to do the same for her own children. “Milae, Treepelt, and Dad were right. You’ve encountered quite a bit over the past couple of years…especially tonight, but if this is something the adults feel you can’t be involved in, you need to accept that and let the adults handle the situation.”

“But why?” Kari asked. “What could be so bad about Dario being missing or Aunt Nala being involved that we can’t help?”

Grey sighed. “I don’t know, sweetheart,” she said. “Dad and I don’t know all the details, but believe me, I’ve known Aunt Nala for a very long time, and sometimes, the things she does and gets involved in are not pretty and can be very dangerous. So…with all that said, Dad and I need all three of you to respect our wishes and stay put until we say otherwise. You can walk around the tents, but no further than that. Is that clear?”

“Wait, hold on, why do I have to—?” Sven tried to ask.

“Is that clear, Sven?” Grey asked again looking at her son in a tone that indicated there was no room for an argument. She couldn’t help but think back to that conversation the day after the dragon hunter incident.

"And we know you just wanted to help, but…Mom and I…and the entire village have rules for a reason. So, the next time something like this happens, I expect you to obey us when we tell you to do something, are we clear?"

"Yes, sir.”

All three of them sighed in defeat. “Yes, ma’am,” they said in unison.

“Thank you,” Grey said.

Dagny and Kari looked at each other than at Brandt now feeling guilty for acting how they did.

“We’re sorry, Daddy,” Dagny said meekly.

“Yeah, sorry,” Kari added with the same meek voice.

Brandt couldn’t help but smile. “It’s okay, girls,” he said. “Come here.” He wasted no time in pulling his daughters in for a group hug.

Dagny and Kari of course returned the gesture hugging their father tightly.

“Hey, what about us?” Sven asked gesturing to him and Grey.

“Get over here then,” Brandt said earning giggles from Dagny and Kari.

Grey and Sven wasted no time in joining in the family group hug. For the first time in a while, there was a peace among the Felman family, and Grey closed her eyes embracing it. It had been hard having Sven away from home, but now that everything was over and the family was together again, she felt that she could sleep peacefully tonight.

“I love you all,” the Chief said aloud as she hugged them just a little tighter.

“We love you, too, Grey,” Brandt said as he returned the gesture.

After a moment, the family pulled away from each other.

“So, what did Liam have to say?” Grey asked Dagny and Kari. “Was he okay?”

“Not much…just that he was proud of us,” Dagny said, “but…I don’t know…something felt really off.” She thought about how quiet and withdrawn he seemed when they greeted him. A part of her felt like it was as though everything they went through didn’t even happen.

"Somewhere super far away. I can't really talk about it right now. But I'm proud of you. You did good."

Grey furrowed her eyebrows together in confusion. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well…with how he acted when he talked to us…he was quiet and withdrawn,” Dagny said, “almost like we were strangers. He barely answered our questions as to where he was.”

“I mean…he was imprisoned in that box thing with Uncle Vox, right?” Sven asked. “He probably just didn’t want to talk about it. I wasn’t all that willing to talk about what Rhenco put me through at Mount Massive when Mom and Dad brought me home.”

“Yeah, but, Sven, you still were happy to see us,” Dagny said leaning back against her dragon. “You hugged us and everything, but…Liam…he just seemed very stiff.”

“But…when we were down there with him…” Kari added, “he was very protective of us. He gave me some great advice about how to deal with the nerves, and then when Kezia confronted all of us, he made sure Dagny and I were safe. Then when we just saw him…I don’t know…it…it was as if none of that happened.”

Grey scooted herself a little bit forward and took each of her daughters’ hands into hers. “I’m sure he’s just trying to process everything he went through today,” she said gently, “and with some time and patience, he’ll come around. The best thing you can do now is support him and be there when he needs it.”

Dagny and Kari looked at their mother and smiled as they nodded.

“So…what happens next?” Sven asked after a moment of silence. “I mean…now that High Central is gone…what do we do now? What…what happens next?”

Grey chuckled as she ran a hand through Sven’s hair. “Unfortunately, sweetheart,” she said, “that’s still a little up in the air right now, but one thing’s for sure…someone will need to take High Central’s place in this spot…before someone with worse intentions takes its place.” She had an idea as to who could take over, but it wasn’t her place to say. “But we’ll just need to take it one day at a time and figure it out. Right now, we need to rest and relish in the victory.”

“Mom’s right,” Brandt added. “It’s been a long night for all of us. We should get some sleep while we still can.”

——————

Thankfully, all three of their kids agreed, and with that, after removing their armor and helmets, they settled into their respective spots leaning against their dragons with some extra blankets that Grey found. Grey and Brandt made themselves comfortable leaning against Shadow, who, like all the other dragons, was already fast asleep. They both watched as Dagny wrote a letter to Havelock and slowly but surely joined her brother and sister in slumber.

Grey couldn’t help but sigh as she rested her head on Brandt’s chest.

“I know that sigh,” Brandt said quietly to avoid disturbing the kids as he played with her hair. “What are you thinking about?”

“A lot,” Grey simply replied with a small smile. “I was thinking about what the girls said about Liam. How did he seem to you when you went over there?”

Brandt thought back on his brief encounter with the Arnasons and Milae. “To be quite honest,” he began, “I didn’t have a chance to talk to him. The only one I really spoke to was Treepelt. They were already to take off on Kendra’s dragon to find Dario and Nala.”

“Hmm…” Grey hummed. She thought about finding Treepelt and Vox after they returned, but she decided against it for the time being. “It’s just…from what Dagny and Kari said…I hope there’s no…lasting damage from whatever Kezia did to him.”

“From what I know of him and from you’ve told me about Treepelt and Vox,” Brandt replied, “I have no doubt he will bounce back eventually. He’s got a lot of people supporting him.”

Grey widened her smile. “True,” she said.

Brandt kissed the top of her head before holding her tighter allowing her to bury her face deeper into his chest. He wanted to just hold her and never let her go again. “How did your talk with Lila go?” he asked after a moment. He didn’t have to ask if that was also on her mind too. He knew.

Grey took a deep breath inhaling her husband’s scent and listening to his heartbeat as she thought back on her talk with her niece. “It went a lot better than I expected,” the Chief said. “I thought…I guess I thought there would be more yelling…fighting, but…we talked things out. She even called me ‘Aunt Grey.’ I couldn’t remember the last time she called me that. She even told she couldn’t have done any of this without me. It meant a lot to hear all that. So…I believe we’re back on good terms.”

Brandt furrowed his eyebrows together and looked down at Grey. “That sounds like it’s what you wanted,” he said. “Why…why don’t you sound like you’re happy about it?”

“Oh, no, don’t get me wrong,” Grey said quickly looking up at her husband. “I’m happy…I’m thrilled, but…” she looked down again leaning on her husband’s chest, “I…I don’t know…I don’t feel completely better…I mean…I’m happy we won. I’m happy High Central is gone for good. It’s just what I’ve been wanting for years…ever since Leif…and I’ve wanted nothing more than to get back on good terms with Lila…and maybe even prove to her and to myself that I’m still relevant to this war…and I’m happy we are back on good terms…but…” She bit her lip.

“But…?” Brandt said urging her to continue.

“I thought maybe personally destroying High Central by activating Darien’s machine would’ve been the answer to all my problems…” she said, “how I could make somewhat a difference in the Rebellion again…and get back in Lila’s good graces…and…make up for everything with Ai…but…I still feel like something is missing. I don’t feel completely better yet, and I don’t get why.”

Brandt sighed as he held Grey tighter. She didn’t say it out loud, but he had a feeling that she was banking on this battle to in a way redeem herself to the Rebellion…and to herself even though he knew she didn’t need to. “Do you remember what you said to our son?” he asked after a moment. “He asked what happens next, and what did you say?”

Grey smiled slightly as she thought back on it. “That it’s all up in the air right now…” she repeated, “that…that we need to take it one day at a time.”

“Right,” Brandt said. “So it’s the same with you. It’s not going to be fixed overnight. Just take it one day at a time…and we will get to where we need to be…where you need to be…together.”

The Chief widened her smile and pushed herself up to kiss her husband on the lips. “Thank you,” she whispered against his lips before kissing him again and leaning her forehead against his. “I couldn’t have done anything of this without you.”

“We’re a team,” Brandt said gently stroking her cheek with his finger. “I’m always going to be here for you.”

“Same here,” Grey replied before resting her head on Brandt’s chest again. They were silent for another moment before Grey finally spoke up again. “You know there was something else Lila and I talked about.”

“Hmm…what?” Brandt asked.

“She asked me what I did after the first Rebellion,” Grey replied running her fingers along Brandt’s shirt. “I told her of course, but…she said she wasn’t sure what she was going to do now that the Rebellion was finally over.”

“What did you tell her?” Brandt asked.

“That her family will always be there to support her and that she needed to take it one day at a time,” she replied. There was definitely a common theme in terms of advice that particular day. “I also told her that after I waited and moved on with my family, I found myself becoming the next Chief of Haligan Island. I also told her that there was more to her than just being a warlord, and she will find what she needs to do next.” She smiled even wider.

Brandt raised an eyebrow at his wife. “Why do you sound like you know what will happen next for her?” he asked.

“It’s not that I know,” Grey replied. “I don’t know for sure, but…” she looked out over the hole that was once High Central, “I meant what I said. Someone will need to take High Central’s place. If we leave it vacant, it will give someone more room to squeeze in and become something far worse, and then we’ll be right back where we started.”

“You are right about that,” Brandt said, “and I’m sure whatever Lila decides to do next…we’ll be there cheering her on.”

“We will,” Grey said. “We all just need to see what happens next.”

#battle of the grounded dungeon #botgd #botgd 2 #grey blogs #brandt blogs #sven blogs #dagny blogs #kari blogs

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