The Darkness Within (Peaky Blinders) Thomas Shelby

19. A War Waged

"My uncle around?" Kiara asked, turning to face Johnny again.

"Out huntin', I think. But ya grandmother is in that wagon over there." He pointed across the field to a wagon set up a good 100m from the rest. Moira always liked her privacy.

As if the woman had been summoned at the mention of her, she stepped out of the wagon, long shaggy robes hitting the ground and her white hair an array of curls. The Shelby's had med Moira and Bryan Kenny only once, at Kiara and Tommy's wedding. Moira had swallowed her pride and attended, but gave Nevina a noticeably cold shoulder during it.

"Go on, Johnny and I'll catch up while you speak with her." Tommy said.

Kiara smiled before beginning to walk away from her husband and towards her grandmother.

"My, my. Look at you." Moira beamed. "Haven't seen you since the war. You've changed. Gone and become royalty on us have you?" She asked, looking at the white fur she wore around her shoulders.

"I missed you too, Grandma." Kiara smiled, placing a welcoming kiss on the old woman's cheek.

"Is that that husband of yours over there?" She nodded to where Tommy stood, speaking with Johnny.

"Yeah, we're on our way to the fair."

"He come back in one piece from France?"

"Physically." Kiara replied. "Don't suppose you have any gypsy remedies to stop nightmares do you?"

"Afraid not, my dear."

"Just as well, he probably wouldn't take it anyway." Kiara sighed, looking over at her husband who was already looking back at here and the two exchanging a smile from across the field.

"So long as he treats you right." Moira commented.

"Don't worry about that, grandma." Kiara replied, turning back to the woman.

"I can tell I don't need to just by that exchange." She gestured over to him. "But, we hear things, you know. About him and his Peaky Blinders."

"I know what he is. Riley's one of them as well, you know."

"I know. Your father didn't really leave you kids with much of a choice, but I guess it's better if you're one them when you live in Birmingham. Just remember, though, they make their fair share of enemies and the reason that they're so protective over you is because by being with them it puts you in danger."

"What's worse... a bullet or my own curse?" Kiara asked.

"Kiara..." Moira raised a hand to cup her granddaughter's cheek, "I've told you before, child... that darkness within you will consume you if you allow it."

Kiara let a soft, but sad smile spread across her lips, "He stops it." She whispered.

"Well then," Moira's hand dropped as she smiled up at Kiara before looking past her and over to Shelby's and Johnny, "you best head on back to him in that case. He looks like he's waiting for you."

Kiara looked over her shoulder briefly before back at her grandmother, kissing her cheek once again.

"Bye."

"Goodbye, child." Moira smiled.

Kiara began to walk back to her husband and his brothers, across the field and past a few members of the Lee family who stared at her as she walked.

"So, your first fair since France?" Johnny was asking as she made it back over to them.

"What do you know about France? You war-shy, gypsy bastard." Tommy joked as Kiara lightly rolled her eyes, but then became distracted as a brilliant white stallion was walked past them, being led by a young boy.

"So, this is the horse?" Tommy asked.

"And that's the car." Johnny stated with a smile looking back over to the family car before walking over to it to have a look while Tommy inspected the horse, picking up his hooves to look under them.

"Tommy," Kiara started as she wandered over to him, speaking in a low voice, "what's going on?"

"A business transaction." He said back, but with a slight mischievous look in his eye.

"Hang on a minute." Arthur spoke, glaring at where Johnny was looking over the family car. "You're not swapping the family car for a bloody horse."

"Of course we're not swapping it." Johnny stated, walking back over to them. "That'd be mad."

"We're gonna play two up." Tommy said as Kiara let out a deep frustrated breath with a light roll of her eyes, walking over to John Shelby as the two gambling men grabbed out a coin each. Tommy would win if both coins landed heads up it was agreed.

They each flicked their coin high in the air using their thumb, keeping their eyes trained on them as they flew high, spinning in the air before landing in the grass. They looked down at the coins and then picked them up before anyone else could see. They shook on the outcome before Tommy handed over his keys.

"Here you are." He said.

"Yeah, I knew it." Arthur huffed. "Tommy, you bloody idiot."

"Shut up, Arthur, I won. I promised Johnny I'd let him have a spin in the car if he lost." Tommy explained as the men from the Lee family began to laugh, "Are you Lee boys laughing at my brother?" Tommy asked, stepping towards them threateningly as their smiles were wiped off their faces. "Are ya? Eh?"

"Tommy!" Johnny came running back over. "Tommy, come on, it's just a crack. Get your family out of here and go and enjoy yourselves at the fair before they start a war. Huh?"

Johnny then turned to the gypsies, speaking in Romani, a language the Shelby's and Kiara all spoke. Her grandmother and uncle had taught her and her siblings when they came to visit them as children. Tommy's mother had been the one to teach him. He was the most fluent while Arthur knew pieces and John was about the same. Finn didn't speak any, however.

"Go on. Go." Johnny snapped at them, "They're from good people. Their grandad was a King." Johnny said. "Their grandad was a king." He repeated once again, still in Romani.

The Lee's didn't say anything so Tommy begun to turn his back... until one of them did speak, in English this time.

"Yeah, but his mum was a didicoy whore." He insulted, didicoy being a gypsy insult for those who weren't full blooded Romani. "And now he's married the daughter of another one."

With his back turned on the Lee's, Tommy's eyes flicked up to meet Kiara, rage swirling behind his blue orbs as her lips parted, knowing what was coming next. She ever so slightly shook her head as a silent was of saying, 'don't,' and he almost listened. Almost.

"She's probably one herself." The man just had to keep talking.

Tommy snapped, he ripped of his flat cap and swung around, the razored peak of it slicing across the man's eyes as Tommy yelled in rage.

If you had ever wondered why they were called the Peaky Blinders... this was why.

Arthur and John leapt into action, grabbing their own caps and swinging them at the Lees while Kiara stepped back and grabbed Finn. She knelt down beside the boy and held an arm firmly across his chest to stop him from running into the action like she knew he wanted to do.

Tommy had thrown his hat to the side and now used his fists, beating on the man that was already down. Arthur kicked another while John was on top of the third, shoving the blades of his hat into the man's mouth.

They never even stood a chance against them. The three brothers stood up straight once again, John spitting over the man he had defeated before they all begun to walk back towards the car.