What Would You Do Without Me? // Teen Wolf

So Much Tragedy

A/N: This chapter has mentions of some HEAVY areas of history, though no descriptions! There are mentions of:
- Mongol invasion of Poland
- The second siege of Vienna
- The Krakow Fire
- Implications around WW2 and a death in the holocaust

Of course, that last point is potentially the most sensitive topic, but it does not pass a vague mention. I'll add the excerpt below for anyone wants to be aware of it ahead of time, before reading - if not, continue on!

"The year was 1928.

Ewa's son, Mieczysław, grandfather of Stiles Stilinski fled to America with his maternal grandmother. He never met his Jewish mother, or his soldier father. They died aged 31 and 32 respectively."

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Stiles did what was asked of him, and waited until everyone was done celebrating, and gift giving, and meeting up for post-Christmas festivities to speak with Noshiko again. He'd gotten her number at the end of their initial party as a whole pack so that he could get into contact when he was ready, and Noshiko had been firm that she wouldn't answer his call until she felt like he'd spent enough time enjoying his winter break.

It was midday, and she'd suggested he come for lunch, and she'd talk with him over food. Stiles was quite looking forward to that, he loved the food Noshiko made. It also told him that this was likely to be a very long conversation, one he'd want to be sat down for.

She greeted him at the door, and Stiles didn't hug her - that wasn't unusual, not only was he not as close to Noshiko as most other pack parents, but she wasn't pack so that pull for contact wasn't there. He headed inside, happy to see a spread of a variety of foods.
"The story I'm going to tell you is long, and intense. It's going to change your view of your heritage, and so I wanted you to be content, and present options. Stories like this can put you off your food." She said knowingly, and Stiles just nodded. He'd figured that was how the day was going to go. His dad knew where he was, so if Stiles was here late, his dad was going to come pick him up, or at least check in.

At first, the two just sat and ate together, talking idly about things like what she actually did for work - she didn't, she'd invested a many years ago now and they were mostly living off that - and how Ken was doing at Beacon Hills High. They talked about Kira, and her relationship with Scott, which Noshiko was less optimistic about than Stiles and he filed that away. Mothers know best, and Noshiko should be ranked highly amongst them. She always seems to know things she isn't supposed to.

Finally, Stiles felt the atmosphere change, and got more comfortable on the sofa he'd been sitting on. It was story time.

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Mieczysław Gajos. A name that could make Supernatural communities around Europe tremble. It was a family name, not his father's name but certainly his grandfather's name, and he believed that his wonderful daughter-in-law would name her son just the same. It had never mattered which Mieczysław you were talking about, the message was much the same - be careful, be kind.

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The Gajos family (known by a different name at the time, though no records of this name can be found) finally chose their home - modern Poland. There was always conflict, it never seemed to end, and the Gajos family always got themselves involved because that was the role they'd been gifted. Magic had been bestowed upon them and so they would use it for good, to aid those who needed it. However, they couldn't stretch themselves too thin. Not every unjust death could be prevented, but large scale attacks would be pushed against, soldiers boosted in their power and injuries healed unnaturally quickly.

In 1241 they did just this, as the Mongols tore through Europe and toward Poland, the head of the Gajos family at the time, joined the forces to work against them. He gifted strength and luck to any soldier he came across, blessing doctors and nurses with healing hands. They would succeed, and prevent too much harm from coming.