A Place Of Ones Own (closed)

"You don't need to say it, Da." Annie murmured as Brogan kissed her forehead and brushed her hair back. "I already know it. I knew it when I went to Ireland. I knew it every time that you came to see me. I knew it when Grandpa told me that I was going back home to be with you and Julia. I will also know and remember how my Da loves me."

"I want t'say it... because you deserve t'hear it." Brogan looked down at her with a calm but clearly forlorn expression, his gaze eventually drifting to the knuckles on his right hand where a very faint scar still showed on his dark skin. It was from a nasty, deep cut from the assassin's blade when Brogan had charged in to defend Cassie and Annie. The Wolf had been there for Annie too, meaning to remove the Queen and firstborn of the Inverness Royal family. When Cassie had lost the strength to do anything more than hold Annie, Brogan had fought like a madman to kill the Wolf, his hand deflecting the blade (among other wounds) when Khelt had gotten near Annie again.

While Annie's memory was hazy, Brogan's was crystal-clear, especially in the moment after he'd run Khelt Aleister through with his own dagger and slammed him into Cassie's bookshelf, making it collapse on top of him and pin him until Brogan finished him off with his dagger driven straight between the ribs and into his heart. Brogan had been a mess, covered in cuts that had built up to be a genuine threat of bloodloss, nearly losing fingers, and embroiled in adrenaline. When he'd finally come back to Cassie and Annie, Cassie's grip on her daughter had failed and she took her last breath just as Brogan's hand laid on her arm. He hadn't even gotten to say goodbye, while Cassie had quietly made her own farewell to Annie in her last moments.

Brogan focused on that scar on his hand for a long, long time before he finally looked back to Annie and lifted a hand to her cheek. He saw so much of Cassie in her looks that it hurt sometimes. "Annie..." He murmured. "Take good care of David. Love him like ye'll never get another chance." He and Cassie had had a beautiful relationship and while she'd been not as resilient as Julia, she had been every bit the graceful and calm queen and Brogan's best friend and partner. Even when they argued, they had been deeply in love and always managed to compromise. Even young as they'd both been, they were mature and devoted, agreeing that they would sacrifice for their families and their kingdom together, one never taking more of the burden than the other if they could help it.

"I already do, Da." Annie promised as he insisted that she needed to love David like it was their last moments on Earth. "Even if you had kept telling us no on marriage, we would have run away to get married somewhere else. You would have been upset, yes, but I knew that I belonged with him. I suppose I always have, even when he was being impossible."

Brogan pressed one last kiss to her forehead and sighed. "I need t'get t'work... There's a lot t'be fixed after all this." He knew he couldn't do much for Ciaran, but there were things he could do to make life easier on his people while they recovered.

"I'll help you." Annie promised, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly. "Ma needs to focus on Ciaran right now and I'm just as able to help you with things. David will take care of the stable if need be."

"If y'want t'help... I need someone t'go t'the outskirts o' town an' see how th'people livin' outside th'palisade are doin', offer 'em help if needed. Take some paper with ya, write down what's needed an' we can get it sent out..." Brogan smiled at her, thankful for the help. Annie was good with people and organizing such things.

"I can handle that." Annie said, giving her father a kiss on the cheek. "I'll take the twins with me to give them a distraction."

"Just don't let Rho get too tired," Brogan murmured, kissing her cheek in return. "I know you already know." He offered her a weak but gentle smile before stepping away to attend to his own work.

Annie gathered up the boys, tasking Sam with writing down the information and Rho to help steering the wagon that she had hitched up to a stocky horse from her father's stable.

"You be honest with me if you feel tired, Rho. I'm not going to have you getting sick." Annie said as she climbed into the seat and glanced over at her brothers. "Same for you, Sam."

"Okay," Rho nodded, while Sam mumbled something that neither could hear. Probably his usual 'I'll be fine' reply as he settled back in the wagon.

As the horse trotted out from the courtyard, they got the chance to really survey the damage. While the main town was just fine, the buildings just inside the palisade gates had sustained a bit of damage. But outside the gates where houses were few and far between, several were burned and ransacked, barns raided, and pastures destroyed with animals wandering loose, some having been taken during the short war to feed the ranks of Erygonians. But already, there were Erygonians scattered around side-by-side with humans attempting to fix the damage they had done.

Annie stopped at each farm, not needing to identify herself as she met with the owner of each. She listened to their story and assured them that the treasury of Inverness would help them out as much as possible. She left the writing to Sam and Rho watched at her side as she taught them both about being good stewards for their family and caring about their citizens. None of them had asked to be born into their position, but they could rise to the occasion with understanding and team work.

Once he had his task, Sam was sharp and right to the point with his work and incredibly efficient, while Rho would speak with some folks about what they'd gone through beyond just monetary loss. He did his best to assure the afraid that the Erygonians were good folk just having fought for the wrong reasons, and they they didn't have to fear an Erygonian offering aid as so many of them were going around offering their services in repentance for the war.

Annie was impressed with her little brothers, watching over them as they talked to those around them and tried to make them feel safe. She had taken up the cause of writing down the damage that had occurred, helping those that needed the help to assess what steps to take next. It took hours, but when all was said and done, she felt good about what she had helped to accomplish.

By the time they returned, it was mid-afternoon and everyone was exhausted. Rho hadn't shown it at all til he was back in the wagon and fell asleep immediately. Sam remained wide awake and sharp as if he weren't tired at all.

"You'll burn out quickly if you keep this up, Sam." Annie commented, looking at her little brother as he tried his hardest to be awake and alert while Rho slept.

"I'm fine," Sam murmured, continually glancing around as they passed people by who were all working to recover from the short war.

Annie looked at her brother and let out a sigh, hugging him close to her side as she guided the wagon with one hand. "You act as if you are 80 and not 13. You have a lot of life left and I would hate to see you waste it on little worries such as this."

"Little?" Sam looked up at her incredulously. "There was a war, Ann. We lost Lir and almost Ciaran too, not to mention what the people an' Ma an' Da are going through."

"It is a little thing in the end. We will heal and move on." Annie said, glancing at Sam. "Things will never be the same again, but we'll still have laughter and each other at the end of the day. When I lost my Ma, I didn't think that the pain would ever really end. It's just a dull ache now when I think about her. I don't want you to wallow in sadness, Sam. It would break my heart."

"I'm not sad," Sam insisted, though his inability to look at her told her enough. "I 'ave to help the people. They're th' ones who lost th' most. Brothers an' fathers an' sons in our ranks, they were all from families out 'ere. Not t'mention destroyed 'omes, stolen goods... Ciaran's got every right t'fall apart with what 'e lost. But me... I didn' lose anything. I've got no right t'sulk." Sam didn't count his deep guilt as a reason to slow down. If anything, it was one more reason to work harder and maybe make up for it one day.

"You're a terrible liar, Sam." Annie said as she glanced at her little brother before deciding to leave him alone for the time being.

"I never lie," Sam muttered. "I jus' don't say anythin' not worth sayin'." Once they got back within range of the keep, he slipped from the wagon to busy himself elsewhere.

Annie watched him run off to hide away from the world. She worried about him, but there wasn't anything that she could do to help him. It was something he would struggle with until he found his own peace or put himself into an early grave.

Once she got the horses tended to, she woke Rho, walking with him into the keep as he sleepily rubbed at his eyes. "Get some rest." Annie commented, kissing his brow. "I'm sure there will be harder work to do tomorrow."

"I'll be ready for it," Rho promised groggily, hugging Annie before making his way toward his room. The great hall was still a bit busy, mostly with people running food out to those who needed meals. Chessie and her staff were working in full swing with all the ovens blazing and all spitroasts going, even some extra built outside over bonfires. They would soon switch out with a lighter nighttime shift that would be baking all night to be able to feed people the next day too.

Brogan had finally been forced to go to bed by Cole, and a very able lieutenant had taken his place. And slowly those who'd worked all day were being replaced by a light night watch, preparing for the morning rush.

Annie watched the activity around her for a moment before she moved to get something to eat from the kitchen before she went to find her husband. She found him in their room, still awake and she felt her heart lift. She moved and hugged him tightly, her cheek pressed against his shoulder as she soothed herself from all the bad memories that had come up in the wake of the brutal war.