Absolution (closed)

Selena leaned her head over to rest against Durban’s strong shoulder, knowing that her brother was thinking about all manner of things. He wanted to protect her, to free them all, and the world was on his shoulders.

“You’re not alone in this.” She said softly, her arm starting to ache as the room grew slightly chilled. “You’ll have all of us to help when Da is gone. The kingdom won’t be solely up to you.”

She knew that Durban was too serious for his own good. He always was, just like Brogan and Boar. “I don’t think I could trust you on your own, anyway. You’re far too serious.” She whispered to make him laugh.

Durban chuckled lightly, more of a half-hearted grunt. "I think it'll take all six of us an' Ma t'bring Inverness out o' th'hole Da dug tryin' t'save it." He turned then, glancing back at her before gathering her against his side carefully, holding her as he had when they were younger and she had still been afraid of Tamblin or her nightmares.

Selena was quiet for a long moment as Durban gently pulled her against his side. The siblings shared a long history of support. The others had never known the bond that she and Durban had with one another. They had taken the brunt of Tamblin's rage to protect the little ones from him. Sometimes, when their Ma was ill, they were all each other had.

"I was born on a battlefield and I thought I would die on one today." Selena murmured as she rested her head against her brother's shoulder. "I still don't know why he didn't take my life out there. I've never seen him hesitate over anything like that before."

"I don't think he will hesitate the next time." Turning her dark eyes towards Durban, she let him see her fear for him. "And I don't know that I could bear the thought of losing you, Durban."

"He won' let me off so easily, no... But I'm no' gonna back down. He knows it's comin'. He knew he could best you, no' because you're a bad swordswoman, but because he knows everythin' you do. An' he knows I've been trainin' fer this since I could lift a blade, an' I know all his tricks... I think 'e's scared in some ways... Proud in others. An' no' just of me. He knows what you'll do fer what you believe in now. An' he knows Boar is right there with you. In fact, I think 'e expects Boar t'outright murder 'im rather'n risk a fair fight. And Brogan... He's too good t'try t'kill Da. He loves him, despite everythin'..."

“Remind me to scold Kayla for telling the rest of you about it.” Selena said, her eyes heavy as exhaustion washed over her. “I made her promise she wouldn’t.”

"She did right an' you know it." Durban felt her head growing heavy in his shoulder and he began to relax as well. "Sleep, love. Gonna take a long time t'recovee from today."

“Keep an eye on Boar. I don’t trust him to not act in anger.” She said softly, concerned for her younger brother as she finally drifted to sleep, her body aching and tired.

It was a week before Ghell allowed Selena to go back to her normal studies and activities, her wounds healed well enough not to impede her in everyday tasks. But he expressly forbid her from any training or riding, even if she avoided using her broken arm. In the meantime, Boar was ready to explode. On two occasions, he came to Durban with fists clenched, red in the face, asking to go out and practice to work out his anger and energy. It took exhausting him and giving him a target to keep him from going off on Tamblin upon just seeing him from afar. Durban was reserved as ever, quietly going about his training with even more effort as he gave Tamblin time to heal so their fight would be truly fair. Brogan looked after the twins and Kitty as he always had, letting Durban focus, and giving Boar a calm support alongside his venting. Brogan was turning out to be Durban's greatest opponent for practice duels, clashing with him once or twice a day and, once in five or so, coming out the victor. While Boar was more unpredictable and had raw power in droves, Brogan was methodical and unerringly calm, the only one of the Ghis children who never seemed to lose his temper at all. Even Durban had to work out his anger on occasion.

It was about three weeks after Selena's loss, and Tamblin avoiding his family as much as possible, that Boar came to Kitty practically shaking in anger, still in his hunting clothes. "Ma," he growled as he stepped into her parlor, his gaze cast to the floor as he clenched his hands tightly, his knuckles probably white under his gloves. "I can' find Durban... an' there's a diplomat from Wick here talkin' t'Da about Abel Dunland... Talk me down. Please."

Kitty was preparing to go to Ashelin's house, her cloak tied under her chin when Boar came in from his hunt. Turning to look at her son, she saw that he looked absolutely livid, shaking in anger, and begging for someone to talk him down. She worried about the anger that he carried in his heart every single day at such a young age.

"Durban went to the market about an hour ago. He had business to attend to there." Kitty said softly, turning towards Boar as his face grew steadily redder. "Lynndon, there is nothing I can do to stop your father. There is nothing you can do either. Selena knows what is happening and she has decided to make herself scarce in the meantime."

She moved towards her son, her hand touching his smooth cheek. "Come with me to Ashelin's. A walk in the woods would do you good."

"Okay... Okay." Boar muttered. "Val always makes me feel better..." While Kitty had never directly told her children that the little girl Warwick and Ashelin were raising was their sister, they had figured it out with time as Valentina looked like a perfect combination of Vincenzo and Kitty. While they never said it out loud, they gladly treated Valentina like a proper sister, just like they did Ciaran and Cole. He silently scooped up the small satchel Kitty carried when she went out, complete with a few items to help if pain or weakness struck unexpectedly, though that was rare on days she was strong enough to go out. He shouldered the satchel and, head down, followed Kitty out of her parlor.

Kitty wrapped her arm through Boar's, looking up at her son as he walked her through the hallways with his head down. He didn't want to see anyone lest he catch sight of the diplomat or his father. She understood his heartache and anger. She had long ago stopped trying to convince Tamblin that what he was doing was wrong, but after his duel with Selena, there was nothing more to be said about the situation.

"I know you want to protect Selena." Kitty said after they had left the keep and started down the forest path to Ashelin and Warwick's home. "But there are things that sometimes have to happen in royal families, love. I married your Da after your grandfather arranged it. Both of your Grans were the same. It's simply what we have to do when we are high born. We trade happiness for comfort sometimes."

She would never tell her children that being married off to another kingdom was correct in any way. However, she was trying to make it seem normal now in light of all that had happened. She knew that they would never understand and she wished that each of them could find that person that completed them in the way that Vincenzo completed her.

Coming into a clearing, a small cabin could be seen past the trail, smoke lazily curling from the chimney. Ashelin rarely ventured to the keep when Valentina was with her, but Kitty was always welcome when she felt the need to come. Warwick had confessed to her that Ashelin hadn't been feeling well lately, but she still kept her spirits up as best as she could.

As they crunched through the snow up the shoveled path to the cabin, thewhack! of an axe could be heard sinking into wood, and pieces falling away with dull thuds and crunching in the snow. As the trees parted way, Cole was visible out in front at a large stump, chopping firewood, and Ciaran was sitting on a billet nearby, just finishing up scraping a deer hide. Cole saw Kitty first and a smile came to his face, framed by a beard. Even so young at twenty, he had a fairly-full beard like his late father. He looked painfully like Marius, from his broad shoulders to his dark hair, to his warm brown eyes. Ciaran, on the other hand, looked like his mother with dark ruddy red hair and blue eyes, though he shared his late father's broad frame.

Cole set his axe down, making Ciaran glance up and smile as well, though both their smiles faltered seeing Boar looking so downcast. His anger had begun to subside into a helpless frustration, even depression. Cole knew exactly what to do, turning to open the cabin door and calling inside, "Hey, Val! Aunt Kitty an' Boar are here!" He stepped aside as the tiny girl came scampering from the kitchen where she'd been showing Warwick how Vincenzo made pasta, flour all over her little apron and face. Boar stepped forward and leaned down, scooping her up immediately with a sigh as a bit of his tension released.

Warwick appeared in the doorway as well, leaning on his cane. His medium-length hair, once rich brown, was now half-streaked with grey, as was his well-kept goatee. He was in simple clothes, a bit of flour on his sleeves that he dusted away. He stepped out with a smile to Kitty. "Just in time, Kitty. We were just working on lunch, courtesy of our best cook," he said with a nod to Valentina.

Kitty always paused when she saw Valentina, the little girl so much like Vincenzo that it hurt sometimes. She had his slender build, his hands, his dark skin and hair. She missed him horribly but she was thankful that she still got to see Valentina from time to time. The little girl was bright and cheerful, intelligent as they came, and was well on her way to being just like her father.

"Well, I'm glad that I didn't eat before I came. I wouldn't miss a meal for the world." Kitty said as she gave a smile to Valentina as Boar held her in his arms, his anger dissolving away little by little. "I came to check and see that Ashelin was feeling better. Last I was here, she was struggling with a cough."

Warwick's smile faltered ever so slightly, but he kept up appearances for his children. "Well, she's still on the mend, but not getting worse, thankfully." Kitty already knew of his plans to take Ashelin with him to the English Channel in spring to take Valentina to Vincenzo, and ask if he could do anything if Ashelin wasn't getting better by then. Plenty of doctors had already said it was disease, one that she would simply have to live with and would probably cut her life short. All they could do was treat it. Unlike Kitty, it wasn't a wasting disease, it was a slow shutdown of her immune system. As long as she wasn't sick, she was mostly fine. But simple cuts and colds could compromise her health immensely.

Warwick stepped back and motioned them all inside. "Boys, finish up what you're doing and wash up. Lunch should be ready in twenty minutes or so. And feed the horses before you come in, please." Both nodded and Cole trotted off around the cabin while Ciaran finished scraping his hide and began carrying wood inside. Warwick brought Kitty and Boar to the den and once Boar set Valentina down, Warwick leaned down to kiss the little girl's forehead. "Go wake your mother, little love. She won't want to miss what you made." He smiled as the tiny girl scampered off once more, and he straightened to look to Kitty and Boar. "I let her sleep through the morning. She couldn't sleep at all last night." He didn't hide the reality of the situation from anyone, though he tended to tone it down in front of Valentina as she couldn't quite understand. "Sit down, I have a kettle on already. I'll be right back." He turned to step into the kitchen, and Boar quietly relaxed at Kitty's side finally.

Soon Ashelin emerged, the once-lively and energetic woman slowed with age and exhaustion, though she had far more color than when Kitty had last seen her. Her long brown hair had been brushed out before she entered, lovely and wavy and loose about her shoulders, and she'd put on a comfortable woolen dress to combat the chill that was constantly fighting the hearths in the cabin. She immediately smiled upon seeing Kitty and Boar, and she came to hug them both. "Hello, my loves... Lynn, thank you for those rabbits last week. The boys were having a hard time finding game. And Kitty..." She hugged Kitty just a little longer, not needing to say anything more to let Kitty know she'd been thinking of her and what was going on at the keep. Even if Ashelin no longer served the Ghis family, she kept up to date with all goings-on through Kitty's children and through Warwick who still aided Tamblin in war strategy. While Warwick didn't support Tamblin's domestic policies or how he treated his family, Warwick knew they had to defend Inverness long enough for the children to have a chance to change things. Since hearing of Selena's fight, Warwick knew the dominoes were falling, and he was waiting to hear who, if anyone, finally put Tamblin down, or if the family would fall apart as he defeated the children. His hopes quietly rode on Durban, even if he constantly sought other means to put the young man on the throne. Thus far, he'd found no law or right that allowed Durban to take the throne without it being given willingly, inciting rebellion, murder, or winning a duel.

"It's good to see you on your feet." Kitty said with a smile towards Ashelin as her dear friend had some color in her cheeks and seemed to be a bit better than the last time. "And don't worry about my troubles right now. We're all surviving."

It was an understatement. Selena was a shadow and Boar was barely able to hold himself together on his best days. The royal family of Inverness was slowly spiraling and she knew that sooner or later, everything would come to a head. Kitty just hoped that all of her children were living by the end of this entire situation.

Kitty's gaze turned towards the kitchen, watching little Valentina as she helped Warwick to finish up their lunch. The little girl had an adoring look on her face as Warwick doted on her. She was well taken care of by the both of them, given all of the attention and love that she wanted during the winters and all the adventure and culture she could need when she went to Italy.

"Mummy, I made this for you." Valentina said as she came into the room with a bowl in her hands, offering Ashelin the first dish. "It's from Papa's recipe."

"Thank you, baby girl," Ashelin said with a smile, kissing Valentina's forehead. She often thanked Kitty for Valentina's very existence, the girl being a light in the lives of her little family in that cabin in the woods beyond Inverness.

Cole and Ciaran entered soon, getting food for themselves after Warwick and Valentina brought bowls to Kitty and Boar as well as their own, and they all sat down to eat in the den. The three boys were soon discussing hunting as per usual, talking about the scarcity of small animals but the overpopulation of deer that year, and they made plans to go out on a long hunting trip to bring a surplus of meat to Inverness to help out the local businesses and families.

Warwick looked to Kitty as the boys were distracted, Valentina listening to them. "What brings you out here today?" Warwick asked softly, knowing Kitty normally came out every other week when she was feeling well, but she hadn't been around for a month or so. He knew of what had happened to keep her away, but he hadn't been expecting her anytime soon.

"Lynndon." Kitty said softly as she glanced over at her son, letting out a small sigh as Warwick asked her why she had come. "He needed a distraction before he did something drastic. He's been on edge since Selena lost against Tamblin and he's been itching for a fight. He always enjoys coming out here to see Valentina, so I thought I'd bring him along."

Kitty looked over at her youngest child, watching as she listened intently to her brothers talk, perfectly content to sit between Cole and Ciaran as if she had been their sister all along. It broke her heart to not have a more active role in her childhood, but Kitty was thankful that she lived away from the turmoil that was happening at the keep.

"She means a lot to all of us." Kitty glanced over at Warwick and Ashelin. "You might not think about it much anymore, but you saved her life and gave us all the chance to know her."

"We think about her circumstances for being here all the time," Warwick nodded with a somewhat sad smile.

"We wish things could've been different for everyone involved... But we're grateful for what you and Vincenzo gave us, so are the boys," Ashelin explained softly. "And the older she gets, the more of an adventure she becomes. I've never met a child who can be so adventurous and curious, but also so helpful. Most children her age are just learning and getting into trouble."

"She gets that from Vincenzo." Kitty said, knowing that her former lover took the little girl on many adventures across the Mediterranean. "And Carmina and Van. They spoil her rotten if their letters are any indication of what they get up to when she's there."

Kitty lowered her gaze to the bowl in her hands, considering what she was about to tell the both of them. "Tamblin is talking to the diplomat from Wick to marry Selena off to Abel Dunland. She's scared, but resigned to her fate. Her brothers are much more angry on her behalf. I'm afraid that something will happen soon that none of us wants."

"We're well aware..." Warwick shared a look with Ashelin before saying, "Durban came to me a bit after Selena's fight, asking for advice..." He glanced at the children present to make sure they weren't listening. "He knows I've fought Tamblin and won before... He asked for pointers, and... And well, if he shouldn't duel Tamblin at all, if he should take another route to remove him. He just wants all of this to end, so desperately... He's willing to hate himself forever if it means the rest of you can live free."

"I've thought about taking the choice out of their hands for good myself." Kitty said softly, guilty that she had even entertained the thought of killing Tamblin before he could injure another child. "I will lose one of them, but I don't know which. He couldn't bring himself to finish off Selena, but he won't hesitate with Boar, Brogan, or Durban."

"I've considered it myself as well... Finishing what I started way back when," Warwick sighed. "But we were once friends and comrades... I can't bring myself to do it."

"I think that's why no one has... We all remember what he once was... And what he could've been," Ashelin added softly. "I don't know if any of the children could do it either, even if they had the opportunity."

"Boar never knew his father as he was. Neither do the twins." Kitty said softly as Lynndon looked over towards her and she gave him a soft smile. "And they are the ones that I worry for the most."

"Valentina, this pasta is delicious." Kitty said to the little girl to change the subject, knowing that if Boar heard her talking about things at the keep, he very well might become angry again.

"Thank you, Aunt Kitty." Valentina said with a grin towards the woman, leaning shyly into Cole's side as she took the compliment.

Warwick smiled down at the little girl, and as they all finished, he spoke up, "How about we break out some of that biscotti you made, love? It'll go well with the tea. I don't think Boar's ever tried it."

"Yeah," Ciaran smiled brightly. "Val's even better at baking than Ma."

Ashelin reached over and mussed up Ciaran's hair at that. "I can't argue with that, but don't you forget who's teaching her how to make all your favorites."

Kitty smiled as Valentina was up like a shot to serve her handy work to everyone assembled. She enjoyed spending time with her and wished she could do it more often. Kitty and Boar stayed a while longer until Boar disappeared with Ciaran and Cole to do something in the woods while Valentina retreated with Ashelin into the main bedroom for a nap.

Kitty stared into the room after Valentina had gone to sleep, jealous of the fact that Ashelin was able to cuddle the little girl so tightly. Ashelin's fingers trailed through Valentina's dark hair, the little girl sound asleep thanks to the wonderful tales that her mother told her to get her slumber.

"Take care of them all, Warwick." Kitty murmured softly as she turned towards her dear friend. "Tough times are on the horizon and I need to know that everyone here will be taken care of when the storm is raging."