The Long Road Home (closed)

[heartofcourage]

Sarah pressed her cheek against Shia's chest as he hugged her tightly. He would never know just how much he meant to her. She would never have made it to adulthood if it hadn't been for Shia and his care.

 

[KieranSoares]

Though the battle between counties continued, soon aided by Sarah's neighbors and a couple battalions of the King's finest footmen, there were only skirmishes as it seemed Cavan was losing his iron grip on his own county. Kell was gone a full two weeks before Sarah spotted him walking into the main hall with a young girl holding tightly to his dark cloak. By this time, Sarin was no longer in danger and Shia was getting back into helping around the keep and county. When Shia saw the girl, he immediately came over to introduce himself and offer the terrified girl anything she needed. He'd always had a tender heart for children, especially those who seemed as scared as this girl.

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah waited the appropriate amount of time before she introduced herself to Oliver's daughter. Kell had done his best to make her feel at home and Shia was making sure that she wasn't afraid. She let the girl be until that evening at dinner. When she saw the girl eating alone with Kell close by, Sarah made her way to the girl's side and took a seat.

"Hello." Sarah said in a soft voice, looking down at the girl with a gentle gaze. "My name is Sarah. What is yours?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"Emily," the girl murmured, not looking up from her plate. But she added, "Thank you for sending Mr. Aleister... I didn't want to be with Papa anymore." From what Sarah knew, this girl was the only thing in the world as important or more important to him than power or revenge. He wanted both from Sarah after being dismissed from her side when Arland died. Arland had been the only person to give him a chance, and Oliver had tried to endear himself to Sarah by encouraging Arland's absolute surrender to her charms. But anyone could see he was just trying to make himself the right-hand man of whoever was in charge for his own gain and plots against the Ghis.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Why didn't you want to be with your Papa anymore?" Sarah asked the little girl, slightly concerned that she was in a situation that she couldn't control.

 

[KieranSoares]

"He doesn't treat people very well except me. Lord Cavan gets the worst of it. Papa's always making him afraid and telling him to hurt even his own people. And he didn't care a bit when Mr. Dale got caught a while ago." Jerard Dale was the very man Kell had caught and tortured and killed for information. "Not that Mr. Dale was any nicer, but he didn't hate everyone like Papa. He was just doing his job. Just like all the others Papa throws away to get what he wants. I'm scared one day he'll stop caring and do the same to me."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I promise you, Emily, that no one will ever hurt you. If they do, you need to tell me or Shia or Kell." Sarah said softly as she heard the little girl confess that her father made her sad. "If you want, I can give you a nice life here in Monaghan."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'd just like to stay with Mr. Aleister for a while," Emily murmured. It seemed she was already attached to him in the short time they'd been together.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You can stay here as long as you like." Sarah said softly, her heart going out to the little girl who found herself in a horrible situation. "In fact, if you would like, I can have him show you around Monaghan today. Just a day for the both of you."

 

[KieranSoares]

Emily nodded slightly but said no more. Kell was still watching over her, his golden eyes always flicking back to Emily every so often, sometimes to Sarah too. But Emily was his primary concern for the time being as she was what his entire mission hinged on, and she was a quiet, sweet little girl who was terrified of the man her father really was.

 

[heartofcourage]

Sarah watched as the little girl went silent once more and she let out a soft sigh. It was hard to be a little girl with a father who didn't quiet understand your needs. Stephen had been a wonderful father, but he had never understood her like Shia had. Shia had raised her to be kind, to respect others, to love people...all of the lessons that she turned her back on as she got older. Stephen had loved her deeply butit had never really been enough for her.

She stood, leaving the little girl to finish eating. Making her way to Kell, she glanced towards Emily briefly before she looked back at him.

"Find something that makes her happy and encourage her to find passion in it. She's very deeply wounded." Sarah said softly, knowing that the wolf would do what he had to.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I intend to, milady," Kell said with a nod when their eyes met, and he lowered his own in respect for her as he always had. He rose and made his way over to Emily, having let her be alone with her thoughts up to this point.

 

[heartofcourage]

Emily stared down at her plate, her heart aching fiercely as she thought about her father. She loved him but she knew that he wasn't a good man. That was very hard to come to terms with as a young girl. It made her stomach ache in the worst way to think that he had been doing horrible things to people.

She glanced up at Kell came closer before her head dipped back down. "Lady Monaghan said I can stay with you, Mr. Aleister."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Of course you can, Miss Colton," Kell nodded, sitting down beside her. "Aside from my mission, your well-being is my primary concern." He'd been open with her about the entire operation from the very moment he'd appeared in her room and explained he was coming to take her away for her safety as well as his own mistress' safety. The only thing he hadn't told her was that Oliver was going to be killed. But it wasn't hard for a girl like her to figure out after having learned of many of the horrid things Oliver had done.

 

[heartofcourage]

"What if my father tries to hurt you all? I don't think I could stand it if someone dies because of me." Emily confessed to the dark wolf that was quickly becoming her protector in the wide world that was incredibly frightening. "It isn't fair to any of your that this might happen."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Indeed it isn't fair to the people of Monaghan or anyone else for that matter. But even if you were not here, he would continue to attack us. Lady Sarah has already watched her dearest guardian nearly fall apart when his love was almost killed. And she loses sleep to worrying over everyone else, especially her fiancé. My job is to see that her worries never come to fruition. But I can safely say that any attack from here on out is not solely to do with you. My mistress is fighting an evil that has plagued Scotland and Ireland since the darkest days of war between the clan lords. My business in this fight is as much duty as it is personal. I've lost a great many things to similar battles."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I never thought that my father was so bad. He loves me. He gave me everything that I wanted." Emily murmured softly. "But he brings sorrow with him. He does horrible things to people. He's never been mean to me, but what if that changes? Where will I go then?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"You will always have a place here, with me if no one else," Kell assured her quietly. "You won't face any danger from your father as long as I can help it."

 

[heartofcourage]

Emily was quiet after that, unsure what else to say. It was a hard situation for everyone involved, most of all for her. She let out a little sigh, suddenly not hungry any longer.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kell knew it would be a hard time for this little girl, getting used to the idea her father was a monster and she was in unfamiliar territory. So he stood and took her hand gently. "Come with me," he murmured. He led her outside to where some of the centaurs who helped guard the keep were camped, and he brought her to sit down at a small fire where an older black centaur was telling an ancient story to the younger warriors with the most intense gaze and deep voice that drew them all in. It was a story of a hero and her love and their family in the face of war and famine, and how the hero's sons died to protect their sisters and sisters' husbands. The hero herself was a great tribal Captain and gathered many nations of werefolk to defend sacred lands, and she finally succeeded in driving back the enemy the night before she passed peacefully in her sleep from old age, and her daughters took up her weapons and armor and began a line of guardians of the sacred land that still stood to this day.

 

[heartofcourage]

Emily listened to the story that the old centaur was telling and tried to take heart in the lesson that it was trying to explain. She needed to be brave but she didn't really feel brave. She missed her father but she knew that he was a bad man. He had been doing horrible things for most of his life and many men had lost their lives because of it. She didn't know how she would be able to function with the knowledge of so much blood on her family name.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kell only hoped to distract Emily from her troubles, wrapping an arm around her shoulders when another storyteller rose. He kept close from that point on, leaving her to Shia when he had to slip away for his own work. But he never failed to look after her even when he wasn't around. He gave her money to buy clothes and a little extra so she could buy something nice, and he made time to show her around Monaghan and take her on little adventures when possible. It was about a week before one evening at dinner, that doors of the main hall slammed open and a tall, thin man in a black cloak stood there with a bloody dagger in hand, four guards laying dead outside just behind him.

Sarah and Kell knew his face all too well after Sarah's experience with the man in Wick. "Where the hell is my little girl?" He snarled viciously, just before his eyes fell upon Kell who had moved quickly in front of Sarah and Emily. "I'll rip your throat out, dog!" Oliver roared, pulling a second dagger from his belt just as five more men in dark cloaks joined him. Emily knew every one of them. They were Oliver's finest since the days of Tamblin Ghis.

 

[heartofcourage]

Emily was terrified by the sight of her father and the malice in his voice. Kell had been so nice to her since she had been there and the little girl even found the reason to smile again as he treated her to clothing and little trinkets. He had shown her around the city and taken time to make sure that she felt comfortable in her virtual prison.

Sarah stood from her seat, moving around the table and towards Oliver. Kell had his duty to protect Emily at any cost. He wouldn't fail in that.

"So, Oliver Cotton does have a heart." Sarah said as she stopped in front of him, staring up into his features. "A little girl who wants nothing to do with him any longer. How does that feel to know that your only daughter, the light of your life, knows what kind of a coward you are? How many families have you made this happen to only for it to happen to yourself?"

 

[KieranSoares]

Oliver's grip tightened on his daggers, and Kell edged toward the hallway with Emily. Oliver's eyes locked on Kell once more. "I'm all she has. Now hand her over and you won't die just yet." He was aware they were surrounded now, but he was also aware that he and his men could make it out anyway, though they might suffer a couple casualties.

"She has me now," Kell murmured, holding Emily close against his side.

"The last thing any blood of mine would want is a flea-bitten mongrel Wolf!"

 

[heartofcourage]

"Daddy, stop!" Emily cried out, tears in her eyes as Kell started moving her towards the hallway. "I don't want you to hurt people anymore!"