Beyond Time (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"He doesn't want her to be frightened away." Dylan said with a soft laugh, glancing towards Ashien as she leaned against his side. "He promised me that his family wouldn't be overwhelming. He might have fibbed just a little bit."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Well, when you have six siblings, four with young families, and a matriarch like Kitty, it gets to be a bit much for people who aren't used to such big families. God knows I was overwhelmed the first time I visited with Vincenzo just after Brogan took the throne. I was here again just after Van started working at Darkwood and I started to get used to it."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I suppose I'll have many years to get use to the idea of having a large family." Dylan said, squeezing Ashien's hand as she glanced at him with a grin. "Of course, we have to have that second wedding first. The brute didn't even want to wait to marry me here in Scotland before we sealed the deal in England."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Oh, so I finally get to come to a wedding? Other than Vincenzo's, of course," Carmena chuckled and kissed Ashman's cheek. "She's right, you are a brute, just as much as your brothers."

Carmena settled in quite quickly and she was a definite help to the scarred Ghis family's healing, especially the four brothers who loved her so dearly. She eventually heard the whole story, learning that even Vincenzo had nearly died. She met new members of the family and immediately loved Dylandra and Kreston and Julia, and she fawned constantly over the babies and toddlers.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan got as much rest as she possibly could as the wedding plans were made for them. Tending to Ashien had worn her out, even if she would have done it a million times again to help her husband. His dreams were still haunted, but he hadn't had an outburst in a few days.

 

[KieranSoares]

Durban had perhaps the worst time of the brothers as far as outbursts went, but he always managed to control himself just until his children were gone, and he began to learn the warning signs. However, any too-loud and sudden sound would set him off immediately and he'd quickly get away from his children so they wouldn't see it. Boar had a few moments himself but they weren't violent like Durban. They caused him to freeze and have trouble breathing. And lastly, Brogan was a mix of the two. Julia would sometimes catch him frozen in a hallway or the library with a white-knuckle grip on his knife at his side, or hiding in their room with his claymore.

Sometimes it was a loud sound that got the brothers, Ashien included, other times the memories just built up and drowned them. For Ashien, he feared the night and Vincenzo was beginning to worry Ashien was becoming an insomniac.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan would often wake in the middle of the night to an empty bed, her husband painting or staring into the fire. She worried about him, but she was afraid to tell him that he needed help. That evening, she woke and found him painting again, his face looking ashen and tired. Slowly, she slipped from bed and made her way towards him, sitting in his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck to hug him tightly.

"You sneak out of bed more and more often." Dylan murmured softly, pressing her golden head against his shoulder.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Well... I might as well do something constructive rather than lay in the dark and stare at the ceiling," he murmured, his painting unhindered even as he wrapped his other arm around Dylandra. His work had taken on a darker palette lately, and this particular painting was the eastern hallway in the keep with a sidelong view into the kitchens. Except for the color of the tapestries, it was all rather dark, more so than the actual hallway usually was.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I don't like waking up alone." She murmured as he continued painting. "You haven't wanted to paint myself or Ballas in a long time. We also haven't made love in a long time. I'm worried about you, Ash. You don't sleep anymore and you look as if a stiff breeze could knock you over."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Some days, I feel like it could," he muttered, laying aside his brush. "I'm just not myself right now, darling. I'm sorry..." He did feel guilty for it, but he couldn't help it. It wasn't just that he didn't want to sleep and face the nightmares again, he genuinely couldn't and it was making everything foggy the more tired he became.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You need sleep." Dylan warned softly as he seemed convinced that he would stay up until the dreams didn't haunt him anymore.

 

[KieranSoares]

"It's not for my lack of trying, Dylandra. I've gotten to the point where I don't care about the nightmares anymore. I just want to sleep. But I can't," he muttered, laying his head against hers.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You don't even try, Ash." Dylan said, lifting her head to look at her husband. "You lie in bed for an hour and then give up. I can always tell by the way that you toss and turn."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I used to be able to fall asleep anytime, anywhere," he muttered. "Even with cannons in the background, I could sleep in a ditch between advances. An hour feels like forever."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Things change, love. You went through a traumatic event. Things might not come as easily anymore." Dylan murmured, pressing her forehead against Ashien's. "Even your artwork is darker than it has been in the past."

 

[KieranSoares]

"It'll pass in time," he sighed, closing his eyes. "But if it'll make you happy, I'll talk to Val in the morning."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Nothing will make me happier." Dylan said as she kissed her husband's cheek and snuggled up against him with a sigh. "I want my husband back. I know it's selfish of me, but I want the cheerful man that I fell in love with."

 

[KieranSoares]

"It's not selfish. We all want to be happy again, love..." Ashien put his brush in a cup of water to the side and scooped Dylandra up, carrying her back to bed and laying down beside her.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan held on to Ash as he carried her back to bed, placing her down on the downy mattress before he slipped in behind her. She let out a sigh as his arms wrapped around her and held her tightly. She smiled, knowing that she was home there with him. They just had to work together to pick up the pieces left behind by his horrific experince.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ashien didn't sleep much that night either, but in the morning they were woken by Ballas climbing up on the bed and laying half on top of Ashien with a deep rumble, nuzzling him until he stirred.

"Get off, Ballas," Ashien muttered, only for Ballas to nudge him right out of bed so Ballas could take the spot by Dylandra. Ashien was too tired to care, and simply pulled a pillow off the bed and stayed on the floor.

 

[heartofcourage]

Dylan turned into the rumbling tiger, wrapping her arm around his broad neck as she nuzzled against him with a sigh. He had become her constant companion on the long nights that Ashien paced the keep or painted until dawn. He was like her child in many ways, a great big tiger that she loved dearly.

"Come back to bed, Ash." She murmured sleepily, sighing as her blonde head settled more firmly on her pillow.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Tell that to him," Ashien muttered from the floor out of her sight. Ballas began nudging at Dylandra too, growling softly and nuzzling her in a way that told her it was time for breakfast. He never let anyone sleep when he was hungry.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Go bug Chessie." Dylan groused at the tiger, sighing as he finally got her up and out of bed. "Fine. We'll go get your breakfast."

She was soon dressed, leaving Ash to sleep on the floor as she walked the very hungry tiger to the kitchens to put together a bowl of raw meat and rice.

 

[KieranSoares]

Ballas got in Dylandra and Chessie's way just for fun, rumbling and growling happily as he was told off until Chessie caught him by the kerchief he wore and sat him down after he tried pestering her cooks. "Now you listen 'ere, young man," she told him firmly like Dylandra saw Van's love do often at Darkwood. "If y' want t' be allowed in my wing o' the keep at all, you behave an' you be polite. Am I understood?"

Ballas ducked his head down under her arm and folded his ears back pitifully with a grumble, but Chessie wouldn't have it. "Don' you whine at me. I asked you a question."

Ballas finally stood and obediently waited by the door, out of the way, lowering his head whenever Chessie looked at him. He needed someone to scold him every so often. "Good. Now be good fer your mistress," Chessie commanded, and Ballas ducked his head a little further. Chessie smiled to Dylan. "And don't let 'im get any pity from anyone. He's been a holy terror fer days."

 

[heartofcourage]

"No wonder he wouldn't come to the kitchens without me." Dylan said as she gave her tiger a glance, watching as he ducked his head again when the two women stared. "He managed to kick Ash out of bed this morning, too."