The Warrior Twins Sass and Saille of the Fienne

The Warrior Twins Sass and Saille 

Born between Fire and Sword, these warrior sisters devote their lives to the protection of the vulnerable.


From Mamm of Perth:


A scorched-earth military advance has our people running for their lives into the mountains. It is just past harvest and the Long Dark of that year is deadly.

   ...               Many are lost during that long dark. 

     The survivors wear the mark of loss. 

     The survivors bear the pain of loss.

     The survivors swear to avenge the loss. 

     They will remember this long dark. 

     The vengeance of the survivors will be to return to their homes, to rebuild their villages, to carry with them from the hills the young spring sprouts and saplings with which to replant their forests, to use their tools to forge a weapon for every fist large and small, and to create from what is left to them trade items with which to buy seed for their fields and gardens. 

     The vengeance of the survivors is to not only survive but to thrive, and to remember this long dark so as to never have another like it. 

     And so, come the spring, the survivors gather together for the Spring Blessing.

As Mamm pauses, Merri speaks up. 

‘Is it like our own Spring Blessing, Mamm? Do they have the Song?’ 

Mamm grins at Merri and says, ‘Yes indeed – it is EXACTLY the same as our own. The Song is the same now as it was then and as it has been for always, because the same Spirit presides now as then as always.’

Merri smiles with satisfaction and subsides into silence.

            During the Spring Blessing, right during the SONG, Mamm’s time comes on her to bring forth the new life that our then family has worked so hard to protect over the course of that long dark. Mamm has a Voice in the Song and makes it through until the end, but as the Song fades Mamm sinks to the ground with a low moan. 

Danann carefully but quickly scoops her up and carries her to their shelter where she gives birth to not one new life but TWO.

When the roundhouse erupts in spontaneous applause Mamm stops, looks around, and laughs out loud before continuing with her story. 

            Yes indeed, twins are delivered at that Spring Blessing, and both of them are healthy and hearty despite the hardship of that long dark on Mamm of Perth as she carried them.

Alianora and MammTwo have been sufficiently good predators to have made the difference in making sure of the survival of these infants.  ...

They are Sass and Saille and they are Born to Battle.

From Mamm of Tarnos:


Sass and Saille are teenagers and have been a part of the Warrior 

Class of the Fienne of Albann for years already, forging themselves 

a reputation among even these the most noted Warriors known to 

mankind.

...   When the Warrior Twins finally ride away to return to their path, their hearts are both lighter and heavier than they ever knew they could be.

     They have found the reason, the deep bottom-line reason, for what they do.

     It is for this their family, and for the families of others, that they train for battle, that they will roam the coasts, the isles, the mountains and the inlands of the land they protect as home. The knowledge lightens their hearts.

     On the other hand, never before have they had to ride away from exactly this feeling of love and acceptance.

     These people are theirs, their own to love, to cherish, to protect with their very lives if need be. They will protect others, gladly and willingly, but no others will ever be quite their very own as these are.

     And so their hearts weigh heavy in their chests as they turn their new golden horses down the path to the sea where a ship waits to take them home.

     As they take that path, their hearts are torn by the wails of the little twins behind them.

     And they know, now, a little of how their elder sisters agonized at leaving them behind, so long ago.

     Unable to cope with the emotions, the pair of them draw their swords, flash them in the sunlight, and give a mighty shout as they urge the golden mares into a headlong flight to the sea.

     The wind takes their tears and flings them, drying, into the air behind them before they have time to course their faces.   ...   

From LittleMamm  of Iona:

They always know when and where they are needed ... and there they 

are ... 

...   And so it is that David and LittleMamm have a final visit with all of their kin (yes, including Mamm and Ataulf who have ridden with the Warrior Twins on the fastest horses the Fienne can provide). David Davidson and LittleEthan are there as well to say goodbye and Godspeed.

A merry meal is shared by all and David and LittleMamm set sail for the Western Lands, at last answering that Call, with the blessing in their ears: ‘Go with the protection and blessing of the Holy Trinity – wherever you travel – in safety and in joy!’   ...   

From Mamm of Dunnottar:

...   here are the Warrior Twins of the Albann Fienne, those legendary Warriors who ride in the ranks of the mighty Finn himself. They are as silent and fluid as Catan in their movements.

When MammTwo releases Mamm from her gaze and from her embrace it is these two who step up and take the hands now freed.

‘We have something for you, Mamm.’

From hand into hand flows the full Power of these two famous Warriors of the Fienne and through Mamm’s hands it grows hot up her arms, across her shoulders, down through the very heart of her and onward into her legs and feet.

Herein is the Gift of these two to this the daughter of their sister’s daughter.

Here is fleetness of foot, accuracy of arm, the wiles of wit, the caution of cunning and – stopping to rest fairly comfortably in their proper place – the heartbeats of these two Warriors instill in the beating heart of Mamm the same pulsing fierce protective spirit which has inhabited the two of them for all of their lives. This protectiveness has charged them with the defense of the vulnerable, spurred them to use their considerable skills on behalf of those they love whose care has been given into their keeping.

‘These too are Gifts of the Mother, sent through us to you.’

Again the grass-green eyes which are the heritage from Danann of Perth meet equally green eyes. Clear and strong and proud does eye meet eye.

And Mamm of Dunnottar nods.

She will guard these Gifts and use them well.

‘I thank you, Sass and Saille. I thank you for sharing with me these Gifts of the Mother – and more, I thank you for what you have sacrificed on my behalf and on the behalf of others for all of this time. I would that I could . . . could . . . oh I don’t know! Give you a Gift in return or something!’

The eyes of Sass and Saille soften with emotion, an event all too rare for them. Born between Fire and Sword the Warrior Twins have had little room for softness in their lives.

Now they reach, slowly and tentatively, with suddenly awkward hands, for to pat the shoulders of the young woman who stands before them.

Their hands are rough and scarred by the weapons of battle but those hands are now gentle and loving as they come to rest on the shoulders of Mamm of Dunnottar.

‘It’s all right, little one. We have been inside the heart of you; we know what lies within it. It is a Gift to us of far greater value than you can know. You have given to us a Gift. We cherish it as we cherish you.’

Alianora and MammTwo have drawn to one another and now the dark brown eyes of the Ancients gaze from the face of Alianora. In them are compassion, and mourning.

Yet behind the sadness gleams something more.

It is Faith and it is Hope.

Here before her, in this little tableau of Elder and the young, is the proof she has sought that it has been worth it – the sacrifice, the battles, the commitment . . .

In the softness now filling these the eyes of her ferocious little sisters, in the gentleness of their battle-scarred hands, does Alianora of Perth find confirmation that yes it has been worth it.

For here before her she sees Love freely given and freely returned.   ...

From Mamm of Dunnottar:

They are Elders by this time ... 

...   Now the Warrior Twins have been watching all of this and giving a hand when asked.

But the two of them are looking sideways at their jewel-bedecked sisters and brothers-in-law and are pretty darned sure that such ostentation is not their style.

They dig in their heels and refuse to budge.

They aren’t going out there bogged down with a lot of jewelry that will only get in their way.

‘No.’

Alianora shoots a look at MammTwo’s raised eyebrows.

‘Oh you two!’

And Alianora begins to wind up for one of her infamous tirades.

Feeling a tap on her shoulder she rounds on her husband, whose hand has done the tapping.

‘What!’

‘Alia my dearest . . . ‘

‘Don’t you try to butter me up, Forr! These two have a dressing-down coming and they’re gonna get it!’

Turning back to her two recalcitrant little sisters, Alianora proceeds to give them a piece or two of her mind in no uncertain terms.

MammTwo pokes Ethan.

‘Stop her, will you? We don’t have all day to waste here.’

‘You stop her. She’s your sister.’

Instead, MammTwo ducks into the tent where lie the rest of the fancy doo-dads of their day’s outfits.

She comes out with a pair of lightweight chainmail tunics wrought delicately in red-gold, closely stitched with rubies and emeralds, with tiny amber beads interspersed among them.

These she throws at the Warrior Twins who catch them out of sheer reflex.

Then they toss them again into the air to see how light and flexible these things really are.

Now grinning, they don the tunics while Alianora continues yelling at them.

MammTwo reappears with pants, boots, gauntlets, and many many strands of rubies, emeralds, and amber.

Soft doeskin pants dyed a richly dark forest green go on.

On go the matching boots and gauntlets, covered with gleaming wealth.

Some of the jeweled strands are twisted together and quickly stitched onto green leather headbands while others are added to the already fiery long hair of the twins.

When their horses appear, the same fiery red as the twins’ hair and obviously descendants of the infamous Rogue and Ordha, the twins turn to their big sister (although she’s tiny in comparison to the height which carries these two) and speak their own minds.

‘You can stop with the dressing-down big sister – we’re already dressed up. Now where did you put our weapons? We don’t want to be late for our grand entrance, you know.’

‘Well.

‘Good.

‘I’m glad you finally came to your senses and decided to listen to me for a change. Your weapons are in there.’

And she points to the supply tent.

The weapons of the Warrior Twins of the Fienne are:

Short swords strapped crossed at the small of their backs,

long swords scabbarded at their hips,

slings and pouches hanging from their belts with hammers likewise,

javelins riding in quivers of their own on their saddles,

and, hanging on their saddles among the bright fringes of jewels that swing with the movements of their mounts, weapons on chains, deadly.

On the upper legs of these Warrior Twins are throwing weapons cased but easily accessible.

Also onto their thighs are belted sheathes with knives.

Similar knives are strapped to their boots.

Their spears are in their hands and their Horns at their hips.

When the sun has fully risen past the dawning its rays seem to seek out the brightly shimmering Warriors as they make their way to the front of the ranks of the  waiting five thousand, brilliantly collared Dogs of War at their sides.

And so the bright bait goes onto the deadly hook.   ...   

The Warrior Twins spend their lives and their considerable skills protecting that which is most dear to them. 

Their lives have no room for Romance ... it is yet perhaps the most poignantly sweet Love Story of the whole series.