Ghis (closed)

[KieranSoares]

Kell remained at her side through the night, his arm draped about her waist until a bit late the next morning when a knock on her door woke him up instantly.

It was a maid, calling her to eat. "Lady Katherine, breakfast is being served in twenty minutes in the lord's private dining room."

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate opened her eyes at the mention of food and stretched, a slight frown on her face at being awake. She was tired but she knew that she had duties to take care of. Turning her head on the pillow, she gave Kell a smile and leaned in to kiss him gently.

"I'm glad you stayed." She said softly.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Well, you asked. How could I say no?" Kell muttered with an equally tired smile, tucking his head against her neck for a long moment more before he rose to stretch and fetch his clothes. He had to slip out to save her any embarrassment or gossip.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate was still smiling as she got dressed and met her father for a private breakfast with the king of Glasgow. She kissed her Da's cheek and sat down beside him, glancing between the two men that seemed relaxed and easy around one another.

"Thank you for inviting us to your home, my lord." Kate said softly as she looked at the King of Glasgow, remembering her manners.

 

[KieranSoares]

Gallus offered her a kind smile, "My pleasure, lass. But you know y'didn' 'ave t'stop callin' me by name jus' fer the occasion." When she was younger he'd always insisted when she visited that she call him Gallus. "I'd like t'talk with ya about yer plans, an' let ya in on somethin' tha's been concernin' me..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"My Ma would have my hide if I didn't at least try to be courtly." Kate said with a smile towards both men there with her as Gallus talked about sharing some concerns with the both of them. "What's been concerning you? Surely nothing serious."

 

[KieranSoares]

"No' too serious yet, but as th' chosen heir of the late King, I feel you deserve t'know wha's been goin' on with Marianne. She's tried t'hide it from 'er lords an' Clan Kings, but she's close enough with me tha' I know when somethin's wrong, 'specially since she's started wastin' away. She ain' sick, no' physically anyway. All she's got left in th'world are 'er daughters. Course th' standin' Duke o' Glasgow, my representative in th' Edinburgh Court, is 'er nephew, so he's close with 'er."

Gallus met Kate's gaze very seriously. "Kate, y'might be a queen ahead o' schedule if she keeps goin' this way. But she's miserable what with 'er husband an' 'er boys all gone an' 'er girls off an' married."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Marianne is a strong woman who has been through a lot. I'm sure that there are things that we can do to lift her spirits." Kate said as she glanced towards her father, knowing that she was referring to Lynndon visiting his grandmother. "She has many people that care for her, even if she doesn't want to think about that right now."

 

[KieranSoares]

"She may 'ave, but she's missin' the love of her life an' all three of her triplets tha' she put her heart an' soul into in hopes they'd be what Scotland needs. Now she feels alone, an' even 'er grandson can only fill so much o' tha' void. But th' pressure of ruling alone is another issue entirely. It's killin' 'er. I 'ope your coronation marks a chance for 'er t'relax an' enjoy life again, but I'm worried she won' even make it tha' long."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I will write her a letter and send it off before we leave for Chester. Perhaps I can take on more of her responsibilities and leave her with less of a strain. In the meantime, we can send Kayla and Lynndon to Edinburgh for a visit. Surely that would lift her spirits." Kate said, glancing towards her father. "It can't replace any of them, that's for certain, but he's a sunny little boy that can brighten anyone's day."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Tha' may do 'er some good, but still, I'd be ready t' suggest that she step down early an' appoint a regent if things get too rough for 'er," Gallus advised. "Your Aunt Kayla's man, General Ulfric Moor, would likely be who Marianne calls on. Tha', or your uncle Durban or, Gods forbid, Lord Henley."

"Ye won' have t'take th'throne early if all this does 'appen, love," Brogan reminded her. "But you could, if y'disagree with Marianne's choice in regent. But there's somethin' else y'need t'know."

"Yes... Ye've likely already 'eard about th'trouble England's been 'aving with Normandy these past years. There's always been trouble with France too, an' Spain an' parts of Italy. Now, Italy's kept to themselves fer th'most part, preferring only friendly rivalry an' trade. But Spain an' France outright hate England. An' since Marianne's friends with King Henry, an' yer uncle's his right-'and man, ye'll be assumed friends with Henry too. Tha' means ye'll be on th' receivin' end o' some hostility from th'south as well. No' that anythin's happenin' right now, but y'need t'be prepared."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You'll find that I made of pretty strong stuff." Kate said with a smile as she looked towards her Da. "I know that there are many things in my way when I become Queen. However, I know that I have great men to fall back on when the experience gets to be too much."

 

[KieranSoares]

"An' great women, if y'want t'have yer Gran an' yer Aunts come kick th'lords into shape," Brogan added, making Gallus laugh.

"I'm sure yer Wolf will do tha' jus' by bein' there. The whole o' Scotland's really started buzzin' about you two. Which reminds me... If it ain' too personal, can I ask exactly what's between you two, lass? You two were near inseparable las' night at th'feast."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I don't know just yet." Kate said softly with a smile on her lips. "And if I did, I probably would say just yet. I want the chance to explore just like any girl my age might. Just because I'm about to be the queen of all Scotland doesn't mean that I'm ready to make announcements like that."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I understand. I expected you two t'be close anyway from all I'd 'eard o' you in Wick and Inverness, but I won' pry."

As breakfast was served, Julia and the boys and Kell came to join them. Heather and Ashelin were left to the care of a nurse for the moment as the rulers enjoyed a meal with their heirs and those heirs' protectors. Ciaran and Gallus had always gotten along famously, and it seemed quiet Sam had taken a shine to him as well. Rho was listening for any lesson he could learn from his parents interacting with a fellow king. Kell, meanwhile, was content at Kate's side as ever.

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia was beaming with pride at the way that her children were acting at breakfast. They all minded their manners and acted as if they truly were interested in what was going on around them. It was all a testament to the hard work that she had put in to raising them. The twins most of all. They had taken all of her energy from the day that they were born, but they were becoming young men who would make their family very proud.

 

[KieranSoares]

As breakfast drew to a close and the family went their ways to enjoy a day off before heading out the next morning to Edinburgh, Rho decided to follow Kate and Sam and Kell let them be for a while. As Rho caught up to Kate, he asked, "Kate? Can I talk to you?" His clear and innocent gaze told her it was something that worried him.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Sure." Kate said softly as she saw the look of concern in his eyes. "You know that you can talk to me about anything."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm really worried about you and Kell," Rho admitted. "Not that I think you two won't be what Scotland needs, but... I'm worried how the other lords and kings will treat you." It was a common concern among her family. Marianne didn't face the same possibilities for adversity as Kate did, having been left the lone ruler by her family's deaths. But it was no secret that many lords and a few clan kings felt that a woman should not helm Scotland. And beyond that, a Wolf should not be the Lord Protector and General. Between misogyny and racism, Kate and Kell would be fighting a tough battle. At least half of Marianne's current allies disapproved of Gale's choice in heir, and well more than half disapproved of Gale's choice in Lord Protector. There were no other werefolk in the councils and no ruling werefolk lords, only tribal elders who reached out in times of desperate need but were often ignored or overlooked thanks to the widespread racism. Oftentimes, their pleas never reached Marianne and she didn't truly know of their suffering.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Rho, I love Kell very much. I know that we face a very difficult time being together, but I also know that this is what is right for Scotland. There will be those that want us to stop what we're doing, especially because I will be the queen. However, it's not so easy. When you find that person that makes you feel the way that I feel about Kell, you'll understand." Kate said softly as she touched her brother's shoulder. "You don't need to worry about me, Rho. I'll be just fine."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You know if things get too hard, you can come back home for a while," Rho reminded her quietly. "Even when I take Da's place, you can still come back. Or Sam and I can come and put your lords in their place. More so Sam than me." He offered her a smile, but he was quite serious. Sam and Rho had once been the bane of Kate's existence, getting her into trouble or getting in trouble with her constantly. But it had forged a powerful bond that they also shared with Ciaran. They would all pick on each other, but no outsider was allowed to do the same lest they incur the wrath of the other siblings. Kate had seen full evidence of that when she was younger and a boy had teased her ruthlessly until her brothers got revenge and left the boy with a black eye and a bloody nose.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I know, Rho. You can bet that I'll be back every single chance that I can get." Kate said with a grin as she wrapped her arm around her little brother's shoulders. "And I know that you'll be coming to Edinburgh every chance that you get. It'll be good for you to see the bigger court and how it functions so that you can decide how things should be in Inverness."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm kind of scared," Rho admitted softly. "Scared to face the things Ma and Da did, and having to take on things even they couldn't finish. Like the problems between the races. How am I gonna make people get along? How am I gonna keep Inverness thriving? How will I be a great leader like Da in war? Even with Sam... It seems impossible. How do they do it?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"They know their limitations and they depend on good people to help them through the hard times." Kate said simply as Rho let her knew his fears. "You don't have to be a great king like Da, Rho. All you have to be is yourself. People need a king that is fair and will listen. I think that you can do that very well."

 

[KieranSoares]

"But they're all expecting me to be great like Da... Another great king from our family. I'd hate to let them down." He then looked up at her. "What about you? Are you scared at all?"