Ghis (closed)

Julia was stung again by his harsh words. She visibly flinched as he declared that she needed to worry about herself and not him. She lowered her head over her plate and tried to gather herself.

“Yes, my lord.” She answered softly, wondering if Kitty really knew what was in Brogan’s heart. “I will have to remember to not worry so much for your well being.”

She hadn’t meant to sound so harsh as she spoke, but the words seemed to tumble out all the same. It wasn’t how she imagined her first night in her new home going at all. Maybe she should have eaten in the great hall with everyone else. It might have saved her a lot of heartache in the long run.

“I see from your books that you have an interest in the creatures of the lakes and forests.” She said suddenly, struggling to find a common ground that they might build a foundation on.

Brogan paused at her statement, and it was clear she'd hit a nerve with her harshness, as tame as it was compared to his own. He was deaf to her next words, and growled suddenly, "Don't take tha' tone with me." She was in trouble now.

Blinking, her wide green eyes were stunned as her growled at her like a great bear that had been angered. She could see the look in his eyes and knew that she had struck a tone with him that he didn’t like.

“Well, forgive me, my lord, but they were your words, not mine.” She said, not backing down as he glowered at her from across the table.

Those dark eyes narrowed dangerously and he rose from his seat. She was about to see what the English feared from Brogan Ghis. He came round the table and pulled her from her chair, and she found herself suddenly pinned on the great bed, staring up into the enraged eyes of the wild Scotsman. His huge hands had a tight hold on her arms and he'd pressed close to immobilize her elsewise. "I ain' takin' yer backtalk either!" His thunderous voice boomed in warning.

A gasp escaped her lips as Brogan stood from his seat, grabbing her arm and jerking her from her seat. A cry left her lips as she found herself pinned to Brogan’s large bed, staring up into his dark, wild eyes. She tried to pull away, letting out a startled cry as he pressed his hulking body close to keep her pressed tightly to the bed.

“Brogan, stop!” Julia nearly screamed, trembling as her husband bellowed at her in his loud, thunderous voice. She was sure that the entire keep had heard his voice and knew by now that she was in serious trouble.

"I'm sorry!" Tears gathered in her green eyes, the fear very evident in their depths. "Please let me go..."

Brogan stared down at her with intensity like she'd never seen, but as she cried out for him to stop, something changed in his eyes. At the sight of her tears, his grip loosened considerably. He hesitated as he looked down upon her, helpless in his grasp, before he finally pulled away and turned his back to her, lifting a hand to his face. Was he ashamed? That question was left unanswered as he turned back to face her with a glare, any semblance of softness or pity gone. He spoke in a normal volume, but his tone was dark and he once more schooled his accent, "You're going to get yourself in a lot of trouble with that mouth of yours."

Julia panted as if she’d just run from Chester across the Highlands. There was never a more welcome sight than when his eyes softened slightly and he loosened his grip on her arms. She would bruise, that much she knew, and she could still feel the dull ache from the pressure of his fingers.

As he turned his back to her, she dare not move, her fear of her husband a very real thing. When he turned back, he was cold again, glaring at her with those stony brown eyes. His tone was as dark as a rain cloud and she trembled as he told her that she would get into trouble with her mouth.

“Yes, my lord.” Was all she could answer. There was so much more that she wanted to say to him, but the moment made her frightened and she couldn’t muster the courage to stand up to her husband.

With that, Brogan turned, throwing open the door. He stormed out, down the hall and out of the keep to get some fresh air. Valentina, who'd seen him pass, hurried to their bedroom to find Julia. "Lady Julia?" she asked worriedly. "What happened? Did he hurt you?" She came to Julia's side to check her over. Seeing she was unscathed, Valentina sat her up carefully. "Are you okay?" She questioned softly, meeting Julia's eyes.

Julia blushed as Valentina rushed into the room after Brogan stormed out of the keep. She was still trembling as Valentina helped her to sit up and looked into her eyes, questioning her about what happened and whether Brogan had harmed her in any way or not.

“I’m fine.” She said softly, pulling her eyes from Valentina’s gaze and she stood, moving away from the bed. “Nothing happened. It’s nothing to concern yourself with.”

Sucking in a deep breath, she struggled to control the racing of her heart. She would have never thought that Brogan would grow so angry that he would attack her as he had. It was true that she had a mouth that would run away from her every so often, but she would have to learn that Brogan was not a man that tolerated that well.

“If you would leave me, I think I will retire for the evening.” She said softly, turning towards Valentina with a pleading look upon her face. “Please…”

She saw the reluctance on her guard’s features, but soon the other woman nodded and moved to leave the room. As soon as the wooden door was closed, Julia sank to the ground before the great fire in the hearth. She trembled uncontrollably for a long moment before she gathered herself together.

Stripping from her gown, she placed it neatly on the back of his chair, next to his weapons before she turned towards the bed and slid beneath the bed covers. Sleep was a long time in coming, but when the darkness finally took her, it was a welcome reprieve to reality.

Morning was luckily also a long time in coming, leaving her rested and refreshed when the sun came in through the window. She was alone in the bed and it was clear Brogan had returned once in the night, taking his belts and weapons and leather armguard and cloak, but he had not joined her in bed.

It wasn't long before a weak knock came on the door, and Kitty called in, "Julia, dear ye'd best get up an' get ready, love."

The soft sound of a knock brought Julia back into the land of the living. She opened her eyes, staring at the dying fire in the hearth across the room. She frowned slightly as she noticed that the sun was high in the sky. She pushed herself up onto her elbow, rubbing at her sore eyes with a fist before she pushed herself from the bed completely.

She grabbed her dress off the chair and noticed that Brogan’s things were missing. He must have come back during the night and gathered his items. She wondered what he had thought seeing her in his bed, peacefully asleep. It didn’t really matter, she thought to herself as she pulled her gown back on and freshened up her hair before heading to the door and opening it to see Kitty’s smiling face.

“Good morning, Kitty.” She said softly, wrapping the frail woman in a hug that was heartfelt.

"Oh, Brogan wants t' talk t' ya before everythin' gets goin' fer the weddin', love. 'E's in th' main hall. I'll see ya in m'room, we've got a dress fer ya." Kitty stepped away with her attendant, a young and robust woman called Hailey.

“Talk to me?” She asked as Kitty bade her to hurry because she still needed to dress before their second wedding. “Of course.” She agreed, nodding towards her mother-in-law and her attendant before she moved from the room and made her way to the main hall.

Entering the room that was full of bustling activity, Julia saw Brogan overseeing everything with that same stony look he’d had last night. She made her way to his side and bowed her head slightly.

“You asked to see me, my lord?” She asked softly.

Brogan paused, casting his eyes down to her. "Julia..." His expression softened slightly. "C'mere," he placed a huge but gentle hand on her back, and he took her into a side hall where no one was rushing around. He sighed, scratching his chin which he'd shaven that morning. "I... I wanted t' apologize... fer las' night... I think all th' stress o' this 'ole thing's gettin' t'me, y'didn't deserve that." He met her eyes finally and his voice became much more gentle. "I didn' want t' ruin t'day fer ya with bein' mad at me 'r scared. Y'should be happy t'day, 'cause t'day ye become a real lass o' Scotland an' Inverness an' ye have a new family."

Never in her life did she think that she’d get an apology from Brogan Ghis. When his eyes met hers, she could see a gentleness that hadn’t been there before. He wanted her to be happy, not scared. It meant a lot to her that he was giving her this little glimpse into his real personality.

“Thank you, Brogan.” She said softly, her voice full of an unnamed emotion. “I do believe that we both said things that we are not proud of.”

She reached out and placed her slender fingers on his forearm, her eyes turning honest as she looked up at her husband. “Please know that there will always be one person out there that worries about you.”

With that, she gave his arm a squeeze before she turned to retreat to Kitty’s chambers so that she could be dressed for their second ceremony.

Brogan watched her go, and his initial urge was to remind her that she should care more about herself. But he bit his tongue, not wanting to upset her again. His second thought was that he couldn't believe she'd forgiven him. He shook his head slowly and continued on his own business.

When Julia reached Kitty's room, a beautiful but simple white gown awaited her. It was not nearly the grandeur of her first wedding, but it seemed much more... genuine. It had a cloth sash about the waist decorated with celtic knotwork, and the trim of the sleeves and neck were embroided the very same way. Kitty was putting some finishing touches on the beautiful gold-trimmed, emerald-green cape and its black celtic embroidery when Julia entered. There was no veil to wear like in an English wedding, the Scots had no use for them. Kitty looked up as she settled into her chair, "Come in, love. What d'ya think? This was m' own dress once, but we added th' embroidery an' th' cape an' belt."

Entering Kitty’s chamber, Julia gasped at the sight of the beautiful white gown and green cape. It was probably the most lovely garment that she’d ever seen in her life and she was stunned that Kitty had gathered it with her specifically in mind.

“I’m not really sure what to say.” Julia answered truthfully as she was asked what she thought.

The idea that this gown was Kitty’s made Julia tear up. Her mother had never given her anything like this before and here was a woman, not of her own blood, giving her something so precious as she married her son. Well, remarried her son, but she supposed that there was no one in the keep that truly believed in their first marriage.

“Thank you, Kitty. It’s very beautiful.” She said softly, reaching out to touch the embroidery on the edges of the sleeves. “I’m sure Brogan will appreciate seeing me in something that is from his own home. He didn’t appreciate my first gown. I think he called it…a frivolous bit of fluff.”

Kitty laughed aloud at that, "Sounds like m' Brogan."

Two attending ladies assisted Julia in putting on the dress, and it fit quite well to the point that they made almost no changes to it whatsoever once it was on. "I'd say yer jus' about ready, m'lady," one of the two attendants smiled and brought her a small bouquet of white flowers and stunningly green leaves. Where they'd found these in the middle of the winter was anyone's guess. "How would ya like yer hair done, m'lady, if at all?" The second attendant asked her, bringing out a very simple silver circlet that Julia would wear from then on as a mark of the queen.

Standing there in the middle of the room as the women dressed her for her second wedding, Julia felt a little dazed and dizzy. Under the watchful eye of Katherine, she was soon the very image of a Scottish queen. She was trembling as the bouquet was pressed into her hands, the beautiful white flowers staring up at her as the women asked how she wanted her hair done.

“It doesn’t really matter to me. I suppose however would be befitting of a queen. And whatever would please Brogan.” She said softly, glancing towards Kitty as the silver circlet was held out for her perusal.

It suddenly struck her that she was taking Kitty’s position in the clan. The circlet had probably rested upon her dark hair for many years and Julia’s emerald eyes turned towards her mother-in-law as the attendants helped her to sit and started on her hair.

“Kitty, are you sure it’s right that I be a queen? I mean, I’m a foreigner to your people. Perhaps I shouldn’t wear the crown just yet.”

The women gave her hair a simple look, leaving the majority down with two braids coming round the sides of her head and joining into one down the middle in back. Kitty stood to take the circlet, "I long since stepped down, m'love. T' th' English, I'd be called a Gran' Duchess. An' if ye don' want t'wear it jus' yet, tha's fine, but yer weddin' is also yer coronation, y'know."

Julia nibbled on her lower lip as she considered what Kitty was saying. It was her destiny to be a queen, even if the English didn’t recognize it. If she refused, she very well might feel Brogan’s quick temper again and that was something that she didn’t want to see any time soon.

She nodded at her mother in law as the circlet was placed upon her head. The weight of the tiny silver headpiece was nearly that of a large boulder. It meant so much and Julia knew that she couldn’t ever let her people, nor her family down.

“Well, shall we head off for wedding?” She asked, trying to sound cheerful even though she was shaking to the core inside.

"Everythin'll be jus' fine, love," Kitty assured her as if knowing the turmoil going on inside her. The ladies walked with Julia and Kitty out of the Keep, and there, the road leading to the keep had been turned into an aisle. The snow had been cleared away and the ground laid over with an emerald-green carpet, leading to the central square of the village where an altar had been constructed near the village well. All along the aisle waited the people of Inverness, dressed their best and with smiles on their faces. Kitty was escorted to the front and Valentina came to escort Julia. Bagpipes and Scottish drums were playing, and white flower petals were scattered down the carpet. At the end awaited a druid priest, and beside him, Brogan in a black kilt, an emerald-green tunic, his leather armguard, and a with his claymore on his back and his best man, Ciaran, at his side. A young boy stood aside, one of Cole's sons, with the rings.

If Julia thought that the first wedding she went through in Chester was rough, it had nothing on the ceremony that was about to occur. There were so many eyes upon her, so many hopes for the future that she felt incredibly nervous. With Valentina beside her, she made her way to where Brogan and the priest stood waiting.

She had to admit that Brogan looked extremely handsome that day. She could only hope that one day he would warm up to her and accept that she wasn’t about to make him weak. Glancing towards Ciaran, she saw the Brogan’s man had a smile upon his face. It was enough to make her blush and she shyly moved her eyes towards the bouquet that was in her hands.

As she drew up to Brogan’s side, she finally raised her eyes towards him and gave him a slight smile. “My lord…” She said, curtseying towards him before she straightened back up and turned towards the priest that would seal their union.

Brogan returned a smile to Julia. It was small, but a smile nonetheless. The druid began with speaking a Gaelic prayer over the coming union, and Brogan reached over to take Julia's hand in his own, gentler than ever before. The druid spoke from memory, his thin voice strained to be loud enough for all to hear, and after several minutes, a purely golden chalice was brought out, filled with a red wine. "Drink and share from the chalice, as you will share all else from this day. Sorrow, bliss, pain, health, and all else..." He gave the chalice to Brogan first, who drank half, and then Valentina took Julia's bouquet for her as Brogan passed the vessel to Julia. After they'd finished, the druid continued, lifting his head to the sky, speaking his previous prayer, now in English.

"Goddess Lady Chloe, mother of Scotland and the isles and all else, I pray you send your blessing from nature to this man and this woman. I ask for them strength, long life, prosperity, patience, perserverence, fertility, and unending health so long as they respect your grace and will. And for their positions as King and Queen, I ask for them clarity, honesty, and love for their people. I thank you for bringing them together, as all Inverness will prosper for it." He then looked between the two and stepped forward, binding their linked hands with long ribbons. "White for purity of the bride... Green for wisdom of your station... Red for courage and strength... Blue for patience and calm... Yellow for prosperity... Black for steadfastness in dark times... Pink for health... Purple for grace and respect... and lastly, a teal ribbon for the blessing and love the Goddess, without which none of the others can exist." The druid bound their hands with the last, a length in between their hands.

A younger druid stepped out, a teal length of cloth in his hands, wrapped around something that they did not see til the older druid took hold. Carefully, he unwrapped it, revealing a double-edged dagger that looked like a tiny claymore, studded with jewels with a tarnished silver handle and blade. Brogan took it gingerly, and a sharpening stone was brought to him. He ran it across the edge of the blade exactly thirteen times and the stone was taken away.

"As husband, you are the column of support on which your bride shall lean. You are the provider who shall see she shall never starve, nor your future children. You are the fighter who will destroy all that threaten her. And you are the defender that will always keep her safe in the circle of your arms, behind the shield of your own body if all other defense shall fail. And as you pledge these things as a man, a husband, and a king, prove your devotion that you would sooner see your own blood spilled than hers, that she will not be harmed as long as you still draw breath."

At that, Brogan drew the blade across his palm which held the sun tattoo and it cut deep. Pulling the blade away, he closed his hand around the bundle of ribbons between his wrist and Julia's. He spoke strongly and clearly: "I swear on my claymore, my kingdom, and my soul that I will keep her safe."

The druid looked to Julia now as the silver blade was cleaned and taken away, and now, a silver needle was drawn from the same teal cloth. The druid spoke now, "As wife, you are the caretaker who will nurse your husband back to health in times of sickness. The second head of the house, who will see that in his absence all will be cared for and kept. And above all, the kind heart, who will show him softness and patience when all else are hard against him. And as you pledge these things as a woman, a wife, and a queen, prove that his own bloodshed will not be in vain for you, and return with but a drop of your own." The needle was held out to her.

Glancing down at the silver needle that was being held out for her, Julia wondered briefly what she would say in response. Brogan had sworn on something that was incredibly important to him but did she have anything to swear upon herself? Bringing her finger towards the sharp needle, she sucked in a breath as she pricked the tip of her index finger, a tiny drop of red appearing on her pale skin.

“I swear upon my virtue, my chastity, and my heart that I will care for him until death parts us.” She murmured as she lowered her hand to the already blood stained cloth, joining Brogan in the solemn vows of their marriage ceremony. She hoped that it would be enough to please her stony husband.