Ghis (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"Well, Brogan did say I was supposed to be your teacher, so... If there's anything at all you want to know- be it for fighting or study- I'll be happy to teach you or help you find someone who can. I'll follow your lead. In fact... What with all the fighting done, I've heard mention of several Ghis planning to take trips here or there to relax, most of them being second honeymoons as I understand. We'd be free to get up to all sorts of trouble."

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate laughed as Kell offered to help her get into trouble. As if she needed anyone to help her. The offer was sweet though and she grinned broadly at her friend, reaching out to place a hand on his arm.

"You're sweet to offer, but I think I can handle all the mischief on my own." She said softly, enjoying his company immensely.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Maybe I want to join in," Kell gave her a bit of a smirk that looked rather dashing. But as always around her, his expression softened once more as she touched his arm. "I've been... Too afraid to ask you about it, especially what with the war's end and wanting to give you a break, but... You said, back in Wick, that you liked me. We both knew it wasn't the time to pursue it, but now... Well, there's no awful Regent or Erygonian land war hanging over us. I wondered if... Maybe you still wanted to explore that feeling."

 

[heartofcourage]

Katherine Ghis, the girl with the spirit like iron, actually blushed as Kell brought up exploring their feelings together. Her cheeks blazed a bright red, her eyes showing the shyness that she possessed when faced with the first man that she had ever loved.

"You would have to ask my father." She said softly as her green eyes looked into his own. "But...I would like to explore with you."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'll talk with him, but your opinion matters a little more to me," Kell smiled. His golden eyes had never been softer, nor more open to her. He was still mysterious as a man could get, but a little less so than before. He leaned in to kiss her cheek, warmer and more welcoming than ever before. "And either way, I think I ought to know the father of the girl I'm trying to charm, right?" He offered her a slightly smirking grin. "Just for the sake of knowing who'll try to kill me if I mess up."

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate smiled as Kell leaned in and kissed her cheek warmly. She actually blushed deeply at the intimate moment before she offered her a smirking grin and talked about her father.

"You might not have to worry so much about my Da. Ciaran and the twins will have to have their say as well. Annie's husband is protective of me as well as all of my uncles. Are you sure that you know what you're getting into?" Kate asked, smiling back at him with an incredible ease.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm not sure of what I'm getting into, but I'm happy to walk into the unknown." Kell let his head rest back against the tree bark. He gazed up at the sky through the holes in the leafy canopy. "It's nice, among all this normalcy. I'm not used to knowing what'll happen everyday. But that's not a bad thing. Just unfamiliar."

Kate had spent much of her life wishing for excitement while Kell had done the opposite, always living with the knowledge that nothing was certain or constant. But now they were both enjoying a sense of normalcy.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Life in Inverness can be boring sometimes, but I wouldn't trade this place for anything in the world. I love it here and I love my family." Kate said, looking up at Kell as she spoke those words. "And I hope that one day you can see my family as yours as well. You deserve a good home, Kell. Somewhere where you can rest and feel protected."

 

[KieranSoares]

"They're already quite a family to me. Your mother and father especially. They treat me more like a son than my own father did, and that's something I never could've hoped for. Your brothers have been good friends, and the rest of your family has been so kind. Hard to believe, after my first run-in with all of you was when I was trying to kidnap you." Kell shook his head with a slightly bitter chuckle. "If I were Brogan, I would've never let you see me again."

 

[heartofcourage]

"He tried that with David. He had a reputation around town as a heartbreaker, but Annie refused to let that taint our father's view. She worked hard to convince him that David was the one, even though Da had a hand in raising David." Kate said as she took Kell's hand in her own and held it in her lap. "I think he knows that his daughters can make the correct decisions in life."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Well, clearly. One is a famous breeder of war horses and the other is a knight responsible for putting Wick to rights and helping to end one of the largest wars Scotland has seen since the invasion of Inverness. I certainly hope he knows."

Kell glanced to his hand in her lap and he couldn't help his smile widening.

 

[heartofcourage]

"But do you think he'll say the same thing for my choice?" Kate asked, looking at Kell with a small smile on her face.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm no fortuneteller, but I'd say it's got a fine chance." Kell leaned over to press a gentle kiss to her cheek. Much later on that day when they returned to the keep for dinner hand-in-hand. They got a couple smirks from townspeople who had seen Kate grow up. But then when they came to the Keep, they crossed paths with Boar. Valentina had always warned Kate and Annie to be careful around him when they found a man.

Boar was at the main doors, leaning on the wall and talking with Cole. Boar knew well of Kell's reputation before and after all the recent events, and it was safe to say he wasn't about to trust Kell. Seeing Kate's hand entwined with that of the dark werewolf, Boar's calm expression darkened visibly.

"Kate." Boar stood up straight and stopped them before they could enter the keep. "... I don't think we were ever properly introduced," he grunted to Kell. Kell already knew about Boar's protective ways and lack of trust for outsiders.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate paused at the sound of her uncle's voice calling her name. She pulled Kell to Boar and Cole, the smile on her face showing him just how happy she was.

"Uncle Boar. Uncle Cole. This is Kell." Kate said, looking back at her wolf. "Kell, these are my uncles."

 

[KieranSoares]

Boar fixed Kell with a suspicious gaze as they shook hands, while Cole smiled and welcomed him properly. "I'm afraid there wasn' much chance t'ever welcome you, what with th'recent happenings an' all," Cole chuckled.

"... So seeing as everythin's over now, what're ya plannin' t'do?" Boar asked in an almost accusing tone.

"Well, Lady Julia and Brogan gave me plenty of work to do, teaching Kate and now Ciaran and the twins, so... I suppose I'll be doing my job and making a life for myself here," Kell explained. Boar wasn't an impolite man, but he had a hard time hiding his real feelings about anything, and it was quite clear he wasn't happy with Kell hanging around. Not only was he descended from assassins and had been one, but Boar, like most of Kate's uncles, felt that no man should be allowed to touch her at all.

"Hm," was Boar's answer before he stepped out of their way.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate simply smiled sweetly at her Uncle Boar as she pulled Kell into the keep, ignoring the disapproving look that she got from him. She didn't care if her uncle approved or not. As long as her Da liked Kell, that was all that mattered to her.

Julia had long sent Ciaran off to do other things in the keep. She had suggested that Chessie needed help with dinner. She wanted her son to find his happiness again and she didn't think he could do that caring for his twin sisters all the time. Besides, it gave her time to spend with her daughters. She buried her nose against their sweet smelling skin, smiling to herself as she hummed a little lullaby that she had sang to all of her children when they were little. Ashelin was slumbering soundly, making little coos every so often. Heather was awake, watching everything with her great green eyes, her little fist in her mouth. It was quiet moments like this that Julia loved the most. Just her children in her arms as she swayed back and forth in front of the fire.

She glanced up as the door opened and she smiled to her husband as he entered the nursery. "Care to join us, love?" Julia asked as she continued to dance with her daughters.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan's answer was a glad smile and he came to her side to wrap his arms around all three of his girls. He had heard Julia humming the children's song and now he joined in his deep, rumbling bass. Pressing a kiss to Julia's cheek as Heather finally drifted off, Brogan slowly and gently took the girls to lay them in their crib so he could turn back to his wife, taking her by the hand and waist to waltz with her to his humming. There was something to be said for their romance, never failing even through the harshest times.

 

[heartofcourage]

Brogan never failed to make her smile. After twenty years together, he still took her breath away with simple things. After the twins were put in their cradle, she found herself dancing around the room with him, a happy smile on her face as she looked up into his dark eyes.

"Who would have thought that the fiercest warrior in Scotland could dance like a true English gentleman." Julia teased him, laughing softly at the sour look on his face.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Hell no, I dance like a Scottish gentleman," Brogan insisted as he pulled her closer by her waist and stole a kiss. "Ma taught me after I learned t'walk. Danced with Kayla 'er 'ole life up til she went off t'Edinburgh." He smiled at those memories and they slowed until finally, they came to a halt and Brogan laid her head against her shoulder, both arms wrapping around her middle in that protective, slightly-possessive, loving embrace she knew so well. He pressed an adoring kiss to her neck and murmured, "I love ya, Julia..."

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia laughed as her husband insisted that he was Scottish through and through. He always took objection to the thought that he had anything in him that was English. When they stopped and he held her tightly, she let out a little sigh. She loved him with her entire heart and soul. He was the perfect husband and a wonderful father.

"And I love you, Brogan." She murmured softly, her arms holding him tightly. "Thank you for bringing me to Inverness."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I thank th' gods everytime I think back t'the day I brought you 'ome, tha' you were stubborn an' kind enough t'hold on til my eyes opened." Brogan lifted his head and set his forehead to her own. "I was sure ye'd have run off or asked t'go 'ome rather'n deal with me." He searched her gaze. "I still wonder what made ya hold on through everythin' we've been through. So many times, I wouldn't 'ave blamed you if you up and left with th'kids just t'find a safe place away from th'wars an' heartache I bring."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Where was there for me to go, Brogan?" Julia asked softly as she looked up into his dark eyes. "My family wouldn't have taken me back. You know that. I haven't spoken to my brother in 15 years. My mother...well, I don't even know if she is still alive. What kind of family life is that?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"I don't know. But it still surprised me, especially in the last two wars, tha' you didn't get tired of all this an' leave. An' I'm more thankful fer that than he'll ever know... Everyone thinks I'm th'strong one, but they couldn't be more wrong. I'm th'weakest in the family, but when anyone needs me... When you need me, I feel like I could take on gods fer you."

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia smiled at her husband's confession and pressed her lips against his own again. He had an incredibly romantic side to him, one that would take her breath away when she least expected it. He had given her beautiful children and a warm and loving home. She couldn't have asked for more from her Scottish brute of a husband.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Y'must think I'm bein' bloody stupid," Brogan murmured as their lips parted. "Bein' all sentimental lately... Seein' my little lads an' lasses all grown up while two more jus' got 'ere..."