Of the Fells

"It'll be alright. He's probably th'least handful of a child I've ever met," Theo mused. Indeed, Alex was no trouble, just shy and in need of security. Even if he kept close, he didn't seem to want for much and he tried his best not to get in anyone's way, and he was very adept at entertaining himself alone.
 
"I was thinking we should formally adopt him too." Valentina said softly as she looked at Theo. "Perhaps it's time for another Ruari in the Irons family. Alexander Ruari Ambrose Irons."
 
"We can do tha', but y'don't 'ave t'name 'im after my family at all, love. He's your boy." Theo was rather chuffed with the idea anyway, and it warmed his heart that Valentina wanted to continue his name.
 
"Theo, he'll be just as much your son as he is mine." Valentina said softly as she saw the warmth in his eyes grow at the thought of passing on his name. "Or we can save it until we start having little boys of our own."
 
"It's up t'you love. He's no' mine yet," Theo chuckled and laid back with a sigh. "All I want is for 'im t'be happy. I don' think he even knows wha' bein' happy is, he's 'ad such a hard time in 'is life. Not even two years old, I bet, an' never says a word... I'm sure Anna was too sick t'be able t'teach 'im much. She could barely keep awake when we found 'er." Theo knew there was a long way to go for Alex if he was ever to catch up even with little Ciaran who was just a bit younger. Ciaran had a small vocabulary but he used it to the best of his ability, not to mention his confidence in walking that Alex didn't seem to have quite yet though he was just as able.
 
"All he needs is time." Valentina said softly as she found her favorite spot to nap against Theo's shoulder and closed her dark eyes. "And we have lots of time to give him. In fact, wake me in a little while. I'll go see my patients and then spend some time with Alex before bedtime."
 
"Will do," Theo murmured, letting himself relax if only to have a moment's rest. Between his helping around the keep, looking after children when needed, and helping Valentina when he could, he was just as tired.

Theo woke her near an hour later, kissing her before they parted to attend their respective duties. Theo was setting himself to planning their future home, finally taking Julia up on her offer that she'd extended and reminded him of since he'd arrived.
 
Valentina reluctantly left Theo's side to attend to her duties. Those that she was treating were looking well and on the road to recovery. It seemed that the universe was working to give her the time with her future husband and new son that she needed to make things truly matter.

When she entered her Ma's rooms, she paused to smile at the sight in front of her. Alex was just waking from a nap, clinging to Kitty with his fox under his arm. Vincenzo was reading him a story in Italian from the book of fairy tales that had always been one of her favorites when she was a little girl.

"Perhaps I should come back." Valentina said softly.
 
"Oh, love, you don't have to go," Kitty murmured, welcoming her daughter to join them for a moment. Alex was still interested in the book, his tired eyes curious as he looked at the swirling patterns of the illustrations. But once he properly woke and saw Valentina, he crawled from Kitty's lap into Valentina's arms. Even though it was clear he loved his new grandparents, Valentina came first.

"He's been nothing but sweet to your mother," Vincenzo said with a fond smile. "Trying to help her with everything until he saw my books."
 
Valentina smiled as Alex finally got his fill and found his way to her. She picked him up and kissed his cheek, letting him rest his still tired head against her shoulder as he tried to wake up some more. She felt content with the little boy in her arms, even if she hadn't physically given birth to him. He absolutely made her heart melt.

"Well, we might have to get a fairy tale book of our own to read at night." Valentina said softly. "Right, bambino?"

She smiled as he sleepily nodded his head and looked towards Kitty and Vincenzo. "Brogan wants to send Theo and I to Inverlochly. I think we'll take Alex with us. I'm not sure that he could be apart from the both of us for that long."
 
"It would certainly give the three of you a chance to solidify your own little family," Vincenzo offered with a nod.

"And it would give Alex some time to get properly used to his new parents without you or Theo being called away at random," Kitty agreed.
 
"Theo's worried that he can't do the same things that Ciaran can." Valentina said softly as she looked at her father. "His mother was too ill to raise him the way that she should. I think he's a bright little boy but it will just take some time to get him to where he needs to be."
 
"He'll catch up, love," Vincenzo assured her. "He's still developing and there's plenty of time. He seems more interested in learning than playing with the other children anyway, so I'm sure he'll be well ahead of Ciaran before long. We just need to get him talking, that's key. He seems to love books so... why not use them to teach him, so he can learn to read too? And I and your mother have old journals full of pictures to start him off. He just needs to work out sounds and pictures first, then he can move on to reading. With you, I just took you out into the world and showed you everything I could and taught you the words. With Alex and how shy he is, though, you might need a gentler approach. And maybe find him a friend, perhaps a pet. He could use a real friend other than just his fox." Of course Vincenzo wouldn't tell Valentina how to raise Alex, but he had ample advice for her.
 
"We'll work it all out." Valentina said softly as she kissed Alex on the top of the head, the little boy giving her a smile that melted her heart. "When Theo finishes the new house, we can look into getting him a pet. Until then, we'll work on getting him talking."
 
As all the plans were set in place for Theo and Valentina, Kitty arranged everything so that they'd be married and go away to Inverlochly, and their new home would be finished by their return. It would take some time, but that time functioned as a chance for Alex to adjust to his huge family. He was wary of men, that much was clear, and it was exactly that which endeared him to Valentina's brothers who'd inherited the same trait from Tamblin. And Alex seemed to have no interest in playing with his cousins. Instead, he preferred to go and listen to people talk, taking it all in silently without ever saying much himself til a couple months had gone by.

It was a rainy night when Valentina was sleeping alone in her room and tiny hands reached for her own. "Mama?" A little voice asked, uttering a word she'd never heard him say before.
 
Valentina was slumbering to the sounds of rain hitting the windows and roof. It was peaceful, even though she missed Theo. He had been helping in the lumber camp in order to make sure that they had enough wood for their new home. He had been working very hard to provide for her and Alex. Alex had been working just as hard. She had bought him books and worked every single evening on expanding his vocabulary.

She heard the quiet sound of her son calling for her and slowly opened her eyes. Turning her head on the pillow, she looked at him in surprise as it dawned on her just what he had said. Pulling a hand from under the blanket, she reached out and touched his cheek gently.

"Are you alright, bambino?" She asked him softly.
 
Alex nodded slightly, reaching up to take her hand before he pointed to her door. It'd been left slightly ajar when Alex had come in, and she could see the familiar figure of Brogan. He was talking with someone she couldn't see, a man with an unfamiliar voice.

"I don' know 'ow Val'd be able t'help," Brogan said quietly to the man.

"I only ask for her to try, for the sake of my mistress' heart and her people. If she loses him in such an awful way, she'll never be the same."

"I understand... It's jus'... Y'see, Val's got a little boy now, and it ain' a good idea for 'er t'be gone so far fer so long."

"She would be welcome to bring him and anyone else she needs, my king. My lady is not unkind, even if she can be... abrasive."
 
Valentina heard the quiet conversation and was soon out of bed. Once she had dressed in her normal attire, she lifted Alex onto her hip and carried him to the door. Pulling it open, she looked between Beogan and the mystery man.

"What is going on?" She asked softly as Alex rested his head against her shoulder.
 
The man turned out to be a Wolf, and one she knew immediately from his golden eyes and matte ebony fur. She'd heard about him all her life, and knew his son to be the killer of Brogan's first wife. Khelt Aleister the First, assassin and servant to the newly-mantled Lady of Monaghan since her parents Stephen and Jessie stepped down. He was clad in all black, the tools of his trade strapped across his chest under a long jacket.

"Val," Brogan spoke first. "Sarah's Wolf, Shia... he's gotten real sick all of a sudden. Khelt here's come t'ask you t'treat 'im. Sarah doesn' know."

Valentina had never had any real contact with Sarah, but the woman had been indirectly responsible for the permanent mental and physical scars of her brothers and many of the surviving warriors, not to mention the mistress of the assassin that had attempted to kill Vincenzo.
 
"What is his illness? Does he have any symptoms?" Valentina asked as she felt Alex take a lock of her hair in his fingers and starting to twirl it. It was a familiar action on his part, one that he often did to soothe himself when he was stressed.

"I do not mind who he serves. I will make that clear right now. If he needs some help, I will be there to help."
 
"I think it may be a form of pneumonia, but it simply wouldn't go away. It hasn't affected anyone else. But it's definitely his lungs. Between that and arthritis, he's miserable and in constant pain and I'm afraid it's going to kill him, if it hasn't already. No Irish healers knew what to do."

"Migh' be tha' rare form o' werefolk's tuberculosis," Brogan suggested quietly. He didn't know much about it, other than the fact that his mother's dear friend and his own caretaker Ghell had suffered from it briefly at one point. But it was curable and mostly non-contagious in werefolk.
 
Valentina thought for a moment about the situation and finally nodded slightly. "I will need to pack. Theo is at the lumber camp this evening. Could you send someone to get him, Brogan?" Valentina asked, looking towards her brother.

"Alex and he will be going with me." She said softly as she glanced at Alex. "And the wedding will need to be postponed. I suppose Ma can take care of that detail."
 
"No worries. Ma loves Shia, she won' be any trouble," Brogan assured her before going to inform his mother and send a rider to get Theo.

Khelt bowed his head slightly to Valentina. "Thank you, miss. There will be a ship waiting for us on the west coast to cross the straits. Anything else you need, just let me know. Everything is paid for." For such an infamous assassin, he seemed gentle and Alex didn't seem terribly shy of him, mostly thanks to Khelt's smooth and soft voice.
 
Valentina nodded back towards Kell and took Alex back into her room. Closing the door behind them, she soon placed him down on the bed and knelt in front of him. She gave him a soft smile and kissed his brow.

"Well, bambino, it seems like we're going on an adventure. What do you think we should pack? Should Anna go with us or should she stay here with Nonna for company?" Valentina asked, hoping to make this trip sound like a great adventure to the little boy.
 
"Nonna," Alex agreed quietly. His fox was still in his room, left there whenever he wasn't going too far. He didn't speak much more than one-word answers, but it was a far cry from his absolute silence weeks before, and he'd added the names of his new family to his vocabulary as well, though he had some trouble pronouncing Vincenzo, so he just settled for what Valentina called him: Papa.
 
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