Claymore and Dagger (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"She didn't have easy answers, Ma. She made th'hard decisions sting a little less. As for Heather... learning to do anything takes practice an' room fer mistakes without someone sweepin' in t'fix it all for her. Let 'er stumble an' fall. Let 'er get frustrated. Once she's done feelin' sorry for 'erself, she'll figure out how to make her own way. I know you an' Da raised 'er, but I watched 'er grow up an' I'm the one she runs to. I know a different side of 'er. Trust me, an' let 'er fail an' ask fer help when she needs it. Bein' her constant guardian only makes 'er fail t'appreciate little things, and resent you."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Your father and I will talk it over." Julia said simply, knowing that Sam wouldn't drop the subject until she let Heather do things on her own. "You don't need to worry about it, love."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm always going t'worry about it, Ma," Sam reminded her before rising. "She's to me what Ash is t'Ciaran, and Kate t'Da." He kissed her cheek before leaving her to return to his work.

That evening, he proved to have made good on his promise to Ashelin because Ciaran came to find her just after dinner. "I hear my favorite student has been practising archery," he spoke up as he stepped into the library where she was studying Latin with more rapt attention than any of her previous siblings.

 

[heartofcourage]

Ashelin looked up from her book as Ciaran stepped into the room, a smile on her face as her favorite brother made some time for her. He was often off, occupied with work and with Justin. She adored Ciaran and always had, but he had a life that she didn't have as large a part of that she had once had.

"Sam says I have to learn even though I really don't want to. Da agreed at dinner." Ashelin said as she closed the book in her lap.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Even court ladies need to know how to put up a fight. And it'll help you put those pompous men in their place when you beat them all in contests," Ciaran chuckled, coming to scoop her up. Even though she was getting bigger, Ciaran had always been incredibly tall and dwarfed their mother entirely, his sisters all included. "But you'll wipe the floor with them when you dance with a good partner."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Will you come to my party to dance?" Ashlien asked as Ciaran picked her up from her seat and hugged her tightly. "Ma finally said that I don;t have to share my party with Heather any longer. I want all of my friends here to dance and have a good time."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Of course I will, love. But Justin and I are both going to Heather's too, so we'll be back and forth a bit. After all, I wouldn't miss either of my little sisters' birthdays." Ciaran kissed her cheek with a smile. "Speaking of which, I've been teaching Justin to dance too. Maybe you can show him a thing or two. He's still pretty clumsy though."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I get the great hall all to myself. Da already promised." Ashelin said, her green eyes as excited as they had ever been about something. "Heather gets the garden for her party. She said she likes it out there anyway."

Ashelin never meant to sound cruel when it came to her twin sister, but she was over the moon when Julia and Brogan had pulled them both aside last night before bed and announced that they could have separate parties if they wished. Ashelin had jumped at the chance while Heather had been much more hesitant.

"I can show him all that I know." Ashelin said with a happy grin as Ciaran said that they would both be there, but splitting their time between the two girls. "You can't miss any of the dancing, Ciaran. Please?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"We'll see, love. I promise I'll at least be there for most of it, and we'll have our song too," he assured her, knowing how Ashelin loved to dance with him to the first song she'd ever learned.

 

[heartofcourage]

Heather was not so confident in her parents decision to separate their birthdays. She was sitting quietly next to Brogan as he read from a book of history to her, her mind anywhere else but focused on his words.

"Da?" Heather asked quietly. "I'm not so sure I want to have a party anymore."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Why's tha', love?" Brogan asked, setting his book aside. He had noticed she seemed distracted.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I just don't want one anymore." Heather said with a shrug of her shoulders. "And Ashelin is more excited. And she has more friends. She can have the party."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Love, Ashelin 'as nothin' t'do with your party. Now tell me what's really wrong." Brogan hugged her close against his side.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Ashelin hates me." Heather said softly as her Da held her tightly against his side. "She never wants to spend time with me anymore. And I know she asked Ma for her own party. We've always done it together."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You two're jus' growin' up an' findin' different paths. An' she's always been the more social one. Tha' doesn't mean she hates you. She's just got a different idea o' fun now. You always liked quiet things an' workin' with yer hands. She likes runnin' around an' dancin' an' exploring everything."

 

[heartofcourage]

"She doesn't understand me." Heather said softly, leaning her head against her Da's chest. "She doesn't even invite me to go to the village anymore. She said that I complained too much and I'm not fun."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Then maybe you two need t'meet in the middle. No one can fix this for ya but yerselves. Ashelin's pretty stubborn though, so you might 'ave t'make the first move. Y'don' have t'spend all the time in th'world together, but I'd 'ate t'see anyone in our family no' get along with another fer somethin' like this."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Sometimes I wish I were more like her." Heather said softly. "With friends my own age. Not my brothers or sisters."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You can 'ave friends yer own age. Y'just have t'find some that're more like you." Brogan hugged her close. "It's no' easy, love, I know... I know better'n anyone. I was th'odd one out when I was yer age. Only friend I 'ad outside my siblings was Ciaran. Cole an' I didn't become close til much later. Even when I did get t'play with other kids, I was shy 'r jus' sat off alone an' depressed. I was so much smaller than them, no one treated me like my age. Anyone tha' was nice t'me other than family was nice out o'pity."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I still don't think I want a party." Heather said as her father explained that he understood better than anyone. "Sam says that I have to grow up sometime. Life isn't always going to be easy for me but I need to make it worth my time. Maybe I need to learn a trade. I don't know what I'd be good at."

 

[KieranSoares]

"We've always been good makin' medicine with yer Papa," Brogan offered. "An' Chessie's always tryin' t'steal ya away t'help in the kitchen because yer jus' as good as 'er girl." He knew there was no sense pushing the party idea. It was better to help Heather find something fulfilling.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Papa doesn't have time to teach me." Heather said as her Da made a few suggestions. "He spends more time with Aunt Val now that Gran is gone."

Heather had been deeply wounded when her grandmother had died. She didn't want to believe that Kitty had passed away and cried for days when she had heard the news. She and her Gran were the best of friends and she was lost without her.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Tha's because yer Aunt Val is all he 'as o' the dreams he an' Gran shared, an' she's his only daughter. But you 'ave a chance t'be yer own person now, love. I know Ma likes t'try t'shelter you from the hard times, but this time, you get t'decide what comes of it. An' sittin' here feelin' sorry for yerself won't do a thing. We'll still help whenever ya need, but you need t'take the first step."

 

[heartofcourage]

Heather was quiet as she was told that it was up to her as to what happened in her life now. She nodded slightly, closing her eyes as she soaked in the moment with her father.

"Maybe we can go and buy Ashelin a gift tomorrow. She might not want me there but I can still get her a present."

 

[KieranSoares]

"We can do tha'," Brogan said with a nod, holding her close against his chest as he lounged back on the library sofa. Waves of exhaustion would hit him when he was worried or stressed, though he managed to hide it fairly well from the children.