Claymore and Dagger Pt.2

[heartofcourage]

“We have more than we need sometimes.” Kate said with a soft chuckle before he straightened up and looked at her brother seriously. “Samuel Durban Ghis, as the High Queen of Scotland and on behalf of myself, my Lord Protrctor, and my Crowned Prince, I give you my full blessing and support.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam cracked a small smile. "An' as the soon-to-be King of Inverness an' its territories, my sword is yours, yer Majesty." Just to tease her, he bowed before her.

 

[heartofcourage]

“You’ll be a good king, Sam. If you aren’t, I reserve the right to come in here and throttled you myself.” Kate said as she moved forward and kissed his cheek.

Across the keep, Julia was working to get everyone ready. The youngest twins were already in their new gowns, matching blue gowns with wide Ghis tartan encircling their waists. Heather got the honor of wearing Kitty’s tiara while Ashelin was wearing one of Julia’s old tiaras. It was a rare occasion that the women brought them out, but for Sam’s coronation they had decided that it was time. Even Annie had hers which had been a wedding gift fro her Irish Family. She hadn’t worn it since she wed David, but she had brought it out for the occasion.

“You look lovely, Fiona.” Annie murmured as she finished with the last tie on her gown, taking a step away to look at her sister-in-law in the mirror. “Like a true queen of Inverness should.”

Fiona stared at herself in the mirror, not really recognizing herself. Her gown was both the lightest blue silk and the darkest black velvet. It made her look pale, fragile, and achingly beautiful. Her tiny waist was accented by a silver belt and the sleeves hung well below her fingertips. When she moved, she shone in the light, which was exactly Julia’s intention. Her hair had also been combed up, held in place by a multitude of silver pins in preparation for the new crown which would soon grace her head.

“I almost don’t recognize myself.” She said in a soft, honest voice.

 

[KieranSoares]

Justin, the only man allowed in on Fiona's preparations as he'd designed a large part of her gown, was making some final adjustments to the sleeves to make sure that when she lifted her hands, the sleeves would remain hanging and reveal her forearms. Stepping back to check his work, he smiled warmly to Fiona. "Our work aside, you look the part, my love. All you're missing is your Samuel. He'll complete the look beautifully."

 

[heartofcourage]

“I don’t know if I feel the part.” Fiona said softly as Julia entered the room with Fiona’s cloak, giving her a soft smile.

“It isn’t that frightening, love. You’ll have lots of time to learn.” Julie said, handing the garment to Justin for him tonplace it around her shoulders.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Plenty of time to learn, and make peace now with the fact that you'll never know everything. Julia asks herself all the time how Kitty managed. You'll be asking yourself the same, and that's just fine," Justin smiled as he carefully fastened the cloak with a beautiful silver cloak pin set with a fox crest, fastened to that the cloak wouldn't shift up or become displaced.

"And I think that should do it," Justin said with a content sigh at their handiwork. "Ma ought to be done with Sam by now too."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Girls, go and find your father. I’m sure he’s trying to wrangle your nephews.” Julia said as she sent Heather and Ashelin off on a task. “If you think this gown is something special, wait until you see what Justin designed for Dana. The little one is barely awake enough to know what is going on and she is dressed as if she is the one being crowned.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"It's the first thing I've gotten to make for her. I had to go all-out. But the design was Ma's," Justin reminded. He stepped away to put away his thread and pins and needles, and the door opened once more after a light knock. Chessie peeked her head in. "Fiona, love, your father is here with Will and Suara and her council. And Julia, Taqu'un will be here soon with Selena's family, and your brother arrived a few minutes ago." Despite the short notice, anyone who could come had hurried to Inverness. It meant that Ashien couldn't make it because of his military deployment to Normandy, and Kayla couldn't risk a voyage til the route was secure, but they would be along for the wedding that winter. In the meantime, clan leaders from across Scotland and Ireland had come and even Sarah Monaghan was present despite her usual avoidance of travel. King Henry of England's representative had come in the form of his daughter and her husband, and they'd brought along Dylandra and her children in part to distract them from Ashien's absence.

From the Triad, the only representative able to make it on short notice was Kjotva, and she'd brought her daughter while Ulfric remained at Kayla's side to defend her. They had all insisted on getting someone there out of respect for Fiona most of all, for her protection and respect paid after the deaths of Rakkar and Elhardt. Kjotva had come to represent Elhardt's children most of all, and for Kjersten.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona turned to look at Chessie an she announced the various guests that had gathered to witness Sam’s coronation. She felt butterflies batting at the insides of her belly at the idea of doing something so public in front of such honored guests.

“Can I speak to my Da in private?” She asked softly, looking at them all with a slightly guilty look on her features.

“Of course, Love. We’ll send him in.” Julia promised, kissing Fiona’s cheek before she ushered everyone else out.

 

[KieranSoares]

Only a minute later, Owen stepped in and let the door close behind him. Fiona hadn't seen her father look so polished in a long time. It'd been long enough since he'd returned that his fur had recovered save the tinges of grey coming in around his face and peppered across the orange bits of his fur which were now more vibrant red-orange. Much like Tatiana had once done, wanting her mate to look as handsome as possible, Owen had made sure his fur was in perfect order, and the black suit and white tunic he wore were flawless. Perhaps most striking were his silver ring and earrings. He normally wore them, but they had been shined and polished for the occasion.

Pausing to stare at Fiona for a long moment, Owen couldn't quite swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. Tears wanted to brim as the reality of what his daughter was becoming hit him full-force. But he managed to stand firm, and muttered, "Little kit?"

 

[heartofcourage]

“Please don’t cry, Da. You’ll Make me cry too.” Fiona said as she was there in an instant to wrap him in the tightest hug she could muster. “I wanted to see you to make sure that I was making the right choice. It’s all happening so quickly.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I would've stopped you much sooner if I thought you weren't cut out for this. Alone, I don't think you or Sam could do it for long. But together... You'll be alright." Owen kissed her cheek and held her at arm's length to take a long look at her. "... Your mother would be a mess right now if she were here..."

 

[heartofcourage]

“I think she’d be more impressed by you.” Fiona said softly as he looked her over and she gently reached up to touch his cheek. “This is the fox that I remembe and you’re just as handsome as before. She loved you so much, Da.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I can only hope she can forgive me, and loves what I've grown into more than what I was." Owen nuzzled against her and seemed to relax a small bit.

 

[heartofcourage]

“I’m sure she adores what you’ve become.” She said softly as her nuzzled against her cheek. “We’ll go see her tonight. I’m sure she’d like to see the both of us.”

Fiona pulled back and looked at her father for a long moment. “No tears. Today is for happiness.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Owen could only smile, though it was bittersweet. "Who'd have thought you'd come so far..." The idea that she'd gone from an abandoned street urchin to a soon-to-be queen floored Owen, especially when he knew her former circumstances were his fault.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Grandpa did. He always told me that I could be whatever I wished to be. I don’t think he ever thought I’d be a queen, but he did believe that I’d do something great with my life.” Fiona said with a sad smile of her own. “The greatest gift you ever gave me was him. I miss him dearly every single day. I suppose death is only sad for the living though. He’s probably having the time of his life with grandma right now.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Owen hugged her once more before finally taking her hands. "Shall we, then? Sam ought to be finished by now."

 

[heartofcourage]

“I suppose so.” Fiona said as she looped her arm through her father and allowed him to escort them both out of the room.

 

[KieranSoares]

Owen and Fiona stepped into the great hall, finding almost everyone who would be involved there. The actual crowning would take place on the huge front steps as the public had been invited, and there was seating for royal guests and family. Fiona caught sight of Sam in the middle of a small group making sure everything was in order. Not unlike his personal version of the Ghis crest, Sam had left the white out of his outfit. It was all a dark, rich blue and black. With silver earrings and his ring and accents on his outfit over gleaming decorative armor and a long black cloak, he looked like royalty rather than just a military officer. His dark hair and beard were neatly trimmed and despite all the chaos and pressure, he looked absolutely dead calm and focused. Beside him was Brogan in a similar outfit with the additional white and his own simple circlet which would replace his crown. The Invernessian crowns had never been jeweled golden pieces only for occasional display. They had always been simple silver, some kings wearing semi-precious stones. They were meant to be displays not of wealth, but skill, and were made by the finest metal smiths in the clan lands. Sam's would be silver alone, simpler than Fiona's. Instead of imagery, his would be laden with text in English, Scottish Gaelic, Erygonian, Lunar, and the tribal predecessor language, Amatachyle as translated by Suara.

Spotting Fiona through the bustling hall, Brogan motioned her over but made sure Sam didn't see her just yet. He wanted to make sure Sam saw her up close in full.

 

[heartofcourage]

Fiona left her father's side with a kiss to his cheek, patting his arm before she made her way through the crowd that was mingling until she was at Sam and Brogan’s side.

“Shall I bow to you one last time?” She asked with a smile towards Brogan, knowing that he would never ask her to do that.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Never should've bowed at all," Brogan chuckled softly, tapping Sam's arm. Sam turned to look at his father but then saw Fiona and halted. It was clear on his face that he suddenly forgot the rest of the world looking at her. She could take his breath away with no clothing at all, but seeing her dressed like the queen she was about to be was about all he could handle, and she was absolutely gorgeous on top of that.

Brogan stepped back and so did the rest of the group around Sam, letting the couple take a long look at each other and weigh the event about to take place.

 

[heartofcourage]

“You look handsome, Sam. Like a fairy tale prince.” She said softly as she reached out to touch the fine material of his sleeve. “I know you’re nervous. So am I, but I know that’s we’ll make a lovely team together.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam turned to face her fully as she touched his arm, and he stepped closer to draw her into his arms. Resting his head on her shoulder, he let out a deep exhale and he seemed to let a little stress go. "We will," he muttered. "... You look absolutely stunning, love... More'n ever before."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Your Ma and Justin did their best to make sure that I wouldn’t look like a total disaster.” She murmured as he held her tightly and rested his head against her shoulder. “And I’m glad that they did. I wouldn’t have been able to make anything half as lovely as this.”