Clan Avatar

XVII: The Grove

LATE SEPTEMBER

To make sure the English didn't come back to the MacDuff province, the Clan had set up camp in a grove roughly one mile northeast of Happrew. It had been two months and so far only minor battles had occurred since Happrew.

In the grove, Clan Avatar and some additional clansman were at the camp. William, Aang, Sokka, Morrison, and William Jr were sitting around a small fire with a pot of Irish stew roasting above it. They took turns dipping bread into it while they discussed what to do next.

"You know, eventually when Longshanks gets back, he'll send his whole eastern army against us."

"It'll be calvary. Armored horses shake the very ground we walk on.", Aang said.

"They'll ride right over us...so, what do we do?", Sokka asked.

For a few seconds, William thought. He then looked up at the trees and got an idea.

"We'll make spears", he said. "Hundreds of them. Long spears. Twice as long as a man."

"That long?", Sokka asked. "...Some men are longer than others."

"Your sister been telling you stories about me again?", Aang joked.

Sokka gave an annoyed sigh while everyone else laughed.

A fellow clansman behind them yelled, "Volunteers coming in!"

The five of them stood up while a man walked toward them and then faced William.

"King William, we've come to fight and to die for you.", the man said as he kneeled before him.

"Stand up, man. I'm not the Pope.", William said.

The man stood up and continued, "My name is Faudron. My sword is yours...I brought you this."

As Faudron reached into his shirt to grab something, Sokka put his hand on his shoulder, to warn him in case he were to pull out a weapon.

"We checked them for arms.", one of the clansman guards said. Sokka then took his hand off of him.

"I brought you this. My wife made it for you.", Faudron said as he pulled out a square tartan for Clan MacKay.

"...Thank you.", William said.

"So are leading this army yourself?"

"Yes. But to be honest with you, Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe is the real brains behind many of our endeavors."

"Yes I am", Sokka said confidently.

"Hey. Don't get too full of yourself. We've still got a long way to go."

"..Sorry"

Just then, Stephen, who had apparently returned from Ireland without warning, came out from behind Faudron while laughing a little.
As he walked up to the pot of stew and took a scoop, he said in a somewhat sophisticated way, "Him? That can't the great warrior Sokka. I'm prettier than that man." He then ate a scoop of the stew before looking up to the sky and continuing, "Alright, Father. I'll ask him." He then stood in front of Sokka and said, "If I were to risk my neck for you, would I still get a chance to kill Englishmen?"

"Do you believe your father is a ghost or were you conversing with the Almighty?", Aang asked.

Stephen continued, "In order to find an equal fighter, an Irishman is forced to talk to God. Yes, Father. The Almighty says don't change the subject, just answer the fucking question."

"Watch your tongue.", Aang said.

"Insane Irish", Campbell said.

Stephen took offense to this and pulled out a dagger and placed it against Campbell's neck. They were brothers, and this was actually their typical way of fighting. Everyone else, except William and Aang, pulled out swords and pointed them at Stephen.

"An Irishman whose smart enough to get a dagger past the guards, big brother.", he said.

"Come on. Leave your brother be.", William said.
"And all of you put down your weapons."

Everyone except Stephen put down their swords.

Sokka then interjected and said, "And the answer to your question is yes. If you fight alongside me, you still get to kill the English."

Stephen then put away his dagger and said. "Excellent! For those of you who don't know, Stephen is my name. I'm the most powerful man on my island. Except I'm not on my island of course. Such a pity."

"You're island? You mean Ireland.", Aang said.

"Yeah. It's mine."

Despite permitting the Irish to settle there, Aang still had a bit of a dispute with them, because of the Western Air Temple. For a couple seconds, he just starred at him in confusion. Stephen responded by grinning at him. Then, in a confused but slightly humorous way, Aang said, "You're a madman."

Stephen slowly began laughing, followed by Aang and then everyone else.
"I've come to the right place then.", Stephen said.

Later, in a forest near the grove, William was hunting with a bow and arrow. He was closing in on a deer, when Stephen was unknowingly tailing him with his small sword. At the same time, Faudron was tailing William from a different direction carrying a larger sword.

William stopped in front of the deer and pulled back on the bow, ready to shot the deer.

Suddenly, from his left, Stephen came running out of some bushes carrying the sword. Faudron was to the right of William and he pulled his sword back preparing to strike him. As he pulled forward, Stephen flung his sword at Faudron and it landed directly in his chest, killing him.

It turns out, Faudron was a spy who was sent to kill William. Stephen knew it the whole time however, which was why he followed him all the way to the camp.

As the both them stood over the top of Faudron's body, Stephen said, "Are you sure the Almighty didn't send me to watch your back, father?"

He then gave a pat on William's arm, grabbed his sword, and left.