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The Baker's Assistant (closed)

Aleister couldn't help a smile. "Sweet lass. Ye've already got me wrapped 'round yer finger, what more d'ya want?" He stretched and turned to get the oven paddle to pull the last of the scones from the ovens and put the bread in. "Head on home, Kay, I've got this handled. I'll come pick ya up 'bout a half-hour before we need t'be at th'keep."
 
Kayla smiled at him, quick out of her chair to head home. She stopped and kissed his cheek in a friendly way, making sure to grab her cloak before she headed out into the snow and ice. It was pelting down at the moment, the sleet bouncing off the stone streets as she hurried home to nap before the party that evening. Her dress was already laid out in her bedroom, draped across a chair. Her mother had ordered it made especially for her and she couldn't wait to show it off.

Once she was home, she locked her door, hanging up her coat and getting a mug of tea before she retreated into her room. It was cozy in there, the little fireplace burning with hot embers as she slipped beneath the covers of her bed. She let out a long sigh, her eyes turning towards the miniature of Gale that Marianne had sent her shortly after his death. She had placed it on her side table so that she could look at it when she was feeling down.

"I miss you." She murmured softly, her heart still raw from his loss as she reached out and picked up the wooden frame, cradling it close against her chest as she let herself drift off to sleep, hoping that maybe he would be there to greet her.
 
As she drifted into her dreams, she found herself at the edge of a mist-shrouded loch, somewhat similar to Loch Fae out in the highlands. A small campfire was burning nearby, and a dark figure was sitting beside it on a small boulder. The mists seemed to part before Kayla, revealing the figure to be none other than the man she'd hoped to meet. He was dressed the way he'd been when she first met him when she came to Edinburgh during a Harvest Festival. From his strong shoulders hung his fur cape and he wore a fine white tunic and blue-dyed leather vest with vine patterns in silver stitched around the edges. A belt secured the vest and tunic and carried an empty sword sheathe as if to signify that he didn't need it anymore as he would never have to fight again. His dark trousers and black boots stood out in the white mist, but the most striking thing about his appearance was his tanned, healthy skin and his dark eyes full of spirit and fire that he'd lost when he fell ill. Kayla had never seen him look so strong and full of vitality, even when he was alive and healthy in their short time together.

He stroked his short beard for a moment before he looked up and smiled warmly to see her. "I was wondering if I'd have to wait much longer." He rose from his seat, and it almost seemed as though he were glowing to her eyes, bright and lively, even in death.
 
Kayla couldn't move fast enough through the mist to get to him. She let out a small laugh as she launched herself into his arms, her nose buried against his throat to take in his familiar, warm scent. He always smelled like pine and she soaked it in as they each embraced one another tightly.

"I was beginning to think you wouldn't come and see me." She said, giving him a tearful smile as she kissed him gently. "I've missed you so much, Gale."

She couldn't help pulling her arms from around him, stroking her fingers over his face to take in the healthy glow of his skin. It had been a very long time since she had seen him like this, strong and healthy.
 
"I've been right here, waiting the whole time," Gale assured her as her fingers touched his skin. "I look a hell of a lot better now, don't I?" He leaned in to press another kiss to her lips. "I wasn't going to leave without giving you a proper goodbye, Kayla. Not like last time." His arms drew her in once more, holding her, almost cradling her as he'd done when they'd fallen in love.
 
"I thought you were always very handsome, your highness." Kayla said with a tearful smile as he said that he wanted to say goodbye to her properly. "You can't go just yet. You have to stay to see the baby."

She wasn't ready to say goodbye to him for good. Having him there with her was what gave her strength to see herself through the long and lonely nights. "I can't do this without you."
 
"I'll see it from where I'm going, love," he assured her. "And I'll see you. You can make it... I know it. You've got your family and your friends. Especially that baker, Aleister. I've seen how he takes care of you. He's going to be the man who sees you and the baby through, I can see that already. You'll be just fine. But I'll be here a bit longer if you need me. I can't stay for too long, though. My brothers and my father are waiting for me, and I need to be there to await the arrival of one more person before we can all be at peace."
 
"Aleister is a dear friend, but he can't replace you." Kayla tried to beg, feeling panicked at the idea of losing her love and best friend forever. "No one's ever going to replace you, Gale. My heart aches every single night because I wish you were there. This house, this place, it's so lonely."

She paused for a long moment as he mentioned one more person arriving before he could be at peace. "Who? Please don't tell me your mother is ill as well."
 
"She'll be along sooner than everyone expects... but not too soon. And no, she's not ill, just heartbroken," Gale sighed. "She'll be better when Kate and Kell join her. She's lonely too." He hugged her a little closer. "And I'm not saying you should replace... I'm asking you to let me go, Kayla... I want to stay, and I wish I was still there with you. But the fact is that I'm here and I have to go on, and so do you. I'll always love you and look after you, but you don't need me anymore. I know your heart is hurting... so is mine. Life is for the living, and you still have so much ahead of you. I want you to enjoy it, and cherish the memories we had, however few. Just remember that there's always going to be a piece of me with you."
 
Kayla started crying with those words, holding her lover so incredibly tight that she fear she might break him in half. He was right. She had to let him go. She had made a promise to stay with him until he wasn't scared anymore, but it seemed that he was ready to be with the rest of his family.

"I love you, Gale." She murmured as she kissed him again, tears still dripping down her cheeks. "And I always will. Each time I look at our child, I'll remember you."
 
"I love you too, Kayla... More than I could ever tell you. You made my life amazing," he whispered. And remembering her promise, he met her eyes and gave her a smile. "I'm not scared at all anymore, love. I was afraid for you and for what I was facing. But now that I'm here... I see a beautiful future for you, and peace without pain for myself and my family. It's all I ever could've asked for. But you know I'll come back here if you ever need me, even if I have to fight through Heaven and Hell to reach you. I promised I'd take care of you, and I'll do that across realms if I have to."
 
Kayla simply held her love tightly, her cheek pressed against his chest until she woke to a thudding against her front door. She sat up in bed, her mind hazy from the amazing dream that she had been experiencing. She frowned slightly, noticing that it was dark, her fire had burned out, and her tea was now cold.

She was quick out of bed, rubbing her tired eyes as she opened the front door and stared at Aleister standing there with a confused frown on her features. "I overslept!"

With that, she ushered him into her house, closing the door to the snow that was falling outside. "I'm so sorry, Aleister. I wanted to be dressed and ready by now."
 
"No worries," Aleister chuckled. "I'm actually a little earlier than I said I'd be. Go 'head an' get ready, no rush. Ye've got plenty o'time." He couldn't help the smile on his face, her honest confusion at oversleeping was both entertaining and endearing.
 
"I won't be long. I promise. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen." She said as she hurried off into the bedroom, pausing when she saw Gale's portrait in it's wooden frame laying on the sheets of her bed.

She cautiously walked towards it, picking it up and holding it against her chest for another long moment. She had to let him go. She turned and walked back into the living room, glancing at Aleister for a moment before she held out the miniature to him.

"Would you hang this by the crib for me?" She asked him softly.

He already knew who the baby's father was. It was a family secret, but there weren't many secrets between the two of them. Hanging him to watch over the baby would be her act of letting him go. As much as it broke her heart, he had been right.
 
Aleister took the small portrait with a bit of confusion until he looked down at the image. He paused a moment as he realized who it was, then he lifted his gaze to her own with a soft expression that told her he understood. He didn't need to say a word, he only needed to nod and make his way to the crib where he found a perfect spot just above it.
 
Kayla dressed as Aleister did the task that she had given him. Her gown was one that her mother had special made. It was a dark blue, festive for the cold weather, with her father's tartan made into a sash that would help to hide her belly. Most everyone in Inverness knew that she was going to have a child, but that evening, she didn't want the attention on her growing belly.

When she was dressed, she slipped into a new pair of slippers and then styled her hair simply. Two silver combs held her curls back off her face and a silver necklace that had been given to her by Gale completed the outfit. It had a sapphire pendant on it and it had been a Christmas present the year before, one of her most cherished possessions.

When she stepped back into the living room, she gave Aleister a smile as she took in his polished yet simple appearance. "If I had known you would look so handsome tonight, I would have let you go with some other girl."
 
"What other girl do I know well enough t'go to a dance with? Or trust t'keep me from freezin' up when my nerves get th'better o' me?" He stood before her in a long blue jacket with white trim over a deep maroon tunic, a belt over the jacket with his knife at his side that he never left behind, and dark trousers and a pair of tall brown boots. It wasn't much as he didn't abide by expensive clothes, but he tried for her sake, and it just so happened that his blue jacket complimented the shade of her dress.
 
"I've never seen any other girl, but you always surprise me." She said as she walked to grab her cloak, the one with the hood that would protect her against the falling snow outside. "Shall we walk to the keep? The feast should begin soon."
 
"Actually," Aleister grinned, "I, uh... made a little arrangement. Since I 'ave t'take a few extra things fer Chessie's order, an' since ye've 'ad a little trouble walkin' too much lately..." He opened up the door and there she saw his old horse, Harrow, with a harness attached to a small cart. "Borrowed it from a friend," Aleister commented. "Makes things a little easier."
 
Kayla arched a brow at him as he said that he had made a little arrangement for the evening. She looked outside as he showed her his horse with a harness attached to a small cart, laughter bubbling in her chest.

"Aleister. You didn't have to do this." She said, looking up at her dear friend with a grin on her face. "I'm perfectly capable of walking to the keep, but it's very kind of you to think of me."
 
"Well, if y'want another reason, then it's because I'm too tired t'carry Chessie's order," Aleister chuckled and stepped out to help her up into the cart. He climbed up on the other side and set them on their way. It didn't take long and they were welcomed by a couple serving men who took care of the horse and boxes for them. Just before they stepped in, Aleister felt his step falter as nerves set in once more. Still, he steeled himself and continued at Kayla's side.
 
Kayla noticed the hitch in Aleister's step and she pulled him to a stop just before the main doors. Looking up at him in the falling snow, she gave him a sincere smile.

"There's nothing to be afraid of. I'll be by your side the entire night." She slipped her hand into his and squeezed it gently. "I promise."
 
"Thank ya, lass," he murmured softly before they stepped in and found the Great Hall full of family and close friends of the Ghis. The first person to greet them was Brogan, Julia at his side.

"Evenin', Kay," Brogan smiled to his dear niece before drawing her into a hug. He then looked to the nervous man at her side. "Aleister? It's been a long time, lad. How are ya?"

"I'm jus' fine, sir. I didn' think he'd remember me."

"'Course I do. Y'were one o' my best." Brogan looked to Julia then, "Al was one o' my axemen when Ciaran was jus' a baby, served in Normandy with King Henry."
 
Kayla wasn't surprised to be wrapped up in her uncle's tight embrace. She smiled widely at the warm welcome she received and she turned towards her aunt as Brogan greeted and introduced Aleister to her. Her aunt looked lovely that evening in a gown of silver, her circlet pinned to her hair. She wore her grandmother's pendant at her throat, a stunning smile on her face.

"It is very nice to meet you again, Aleister." Julia said, taking his hand and shaking it warmly.

"The keep looks very festive, Uncle Brogan." Kayla said, looking around at all of their friends and family. "I'm so happy that you decided to do this. I think everyone needed a break from all the turmoil."
 
Brogan nodded as he wrapped an arm around Julia once more with a smile. "I thought th'same. Not t'mention, I wanted t'have a little get-t'gether before a lot of us go off fer a while t'have a little vacation. Anyhow, come on in, you two. Boar saved ya some space between 'im an' Durban."

Durban had always been the most doting of her uncles, which was saying something considering how each of the siblings was incredibly involved with their family. When he saw Kayla approach, he rose from his seat to wrap her up in a warm embrace. "Hiya, lass." He then looked to Aleister and the two shared a knowing smile. Apparently Aleister knew her family more than he let on. He probably knew the three older brothers best as he'd served under and beside them in the days when Durban returned to Inverness and he and Boar became reserve axefighters like they'd been as teenagers.
 
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