Ghis (closed)

[heartofcourage]

Julia was in awe of the little area that their son had guided them to. She looked around at the clear water and fish, the carvings on the walls that told a story of the Inverness Kipper and the queen that she had befriended and left her final egg to. As she slipped from the horse's back, she knew that they had been guided to something truly special.

"Love, I think this is the Queen's Glen." She murmured, looking over at Brogan as he looked around the area as well.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I thought it'd been built over at some point. I guess it was further away'n I thought." Brogan stepped up to the most recent images, recognizing the old Ghis banners behind the queen, as well as the visage of King Aodh standing behind the queen, following her lead. She had not been from Scotland, but from a Germanic clan north of Italy. Their marriage had caused a war between their clans as she'd been promised to another, and fled to marry Aodh instead. The old stories went that he'd lost the challenge to win her hand, a Germanic King completely destroying him in a duel. But Aodh had won her affections over her father's permission. And when she came to Aodh's territory, she'd changed her name to Dianh in honor of his Celtic heritage and her new people. The war had lasted several years, Dianh's father sending armies of men to Scotland to take her back like she was Helen of Troy. But Aodh fended them all off, killing as few as possible out of respect for her. It finally ended when she gave birth to her first son, and sent a letter to invite her father to meet him. The Germanic clan king came and his resolve was broken. He left the isles after being given the honor of making his grandson. He gave the boy a Celtic name, his final acceptance that his daughter was a Celtic queen and she would not be swayed from the land and people she loved.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Then that would mean that there is a kipper egg in this pond." Julia said, stepping to the edge of the water to look into the crystal clear surface. "She placed it here for safe keeping after her last child was born. She was afraid that the tribe from Wick would come and take it for their own purposes and she couldn't bear to see that happen."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Some stories say Invah recovered it when she woke fer a few days after Dianh passed away," Brogan murmured. "Annie would probably know. An' if she ever finds ol' Invah, we can ask."

"This isn't all," Sam murmured, pointing them down toward the end of the pool. "I don' know who, but Lunars 'ave still been carving here. Just a month ago a new image appeared." He guided them around a little corner in the wall, where they found a whole new wall of images that stretched for nearly three hundred feet. It was an entire history of Inverness, but the main images seemed to be centered around queens. The second most recent was clearly Kitty carved by someone who knew her face well. It showed her great trials under Tamblin, but it also showed he loved her despite hurting her. Images of her children were carved around a central picture, all of them young. Behind her was a Claymore planted in the ground with Tamblin's banner, and though she had a hand on the pommel, her attention was centered on a dark-skinned, tall man knelt before her, looking up at her like she was his world, and one more child stood between them, a little girl with olive skin.

Brogan was struck at the sight of the story of his mother, and he could only stare at the images of Kitty enduring Tamblin's wrath. Julia knew the story in a very general way, only that Tamblin had mistreated Kitty and lost his mind. But the story on the wall told that he'd lost himself in a prison, that the birth of a sickly son had nearly saved him from himself, and then he'd spiraled downward, ignoring the trail boy while Kitty tried to save him from being left in the shadows.

Each child's story was shown with Kitty supporting. Durban endured war and failed in the duel against his father, banished only to find the love of his life. Selena kept close to a Wolf who was pictured like a father, then ran from Inverness only to find her love as well. All of the others were shown, but the last was the sickly boy constantly overshadowed despite his intelligence and wisdom and how hard he worked. Then, he grew into a giant and Julia saw her husband pictured striking down his father with Tamblin's own blade, tears streaming down the young Brogan's face as he did so. He was pictured at Tamblin's side with Kitty as the king slowly died, and then he was crowned. After Kitty's story, there was Cassandra.

Sam stepped back to let his father see the story. While Julia's children didn't know much about Cassie, they knew Brogan still loved her and his heart still broke on occasion when he remembered her passing and how he sent Annie away.

Cassandra was pictured in Ireland first, a quiet beauty, and her first meeting with Brogan showed them both bright and lively, dancing in Monaghan together. She was soon crowned in her wedding dress, and there was one image showing her connecting with the people of Inverness, Kitty guiding her. After, she and Brogan were shown holding little Annie. And then, far too abruptly just like the actual event, she was pictured laying with Annie in her arms, blood everywhere as Brogan fought a shadowy assassin behind them. There was a large mostly empty space after that, only a small image of the queen's crown laying unworn, and bordered by images of Annie sailing away while Brogan fought battle after battle, a cracked heart chiseled into his armor in the stone.

And then, the most recent work showed an English banner, the blade and needle used in. Lunasian wedding, and the crest of House Chester. There was some outlining for more afterward, but it seemed the artist hadn't gotten to it yet. They were about to begin Julia's story.

 

[heartofcourage]

"They know so much about us." Julia said softly as she reached out to gently touch the beginning of her story, completely in awe of the detail that had been put into telling the Ghis story for future generations to know. "It's all here...which means that even when the were had been driven from Inverness, someone came here to continue telling the story. How much danger would they have put themselves into to do that?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"It was Ghell," Brogan muttered, looking over Kitty's story. "I recognize 'is work. But Cassie's story... I don' know who did this. Only could've been someone who knows me well, 'r knew her... Couldn' 'ave been Shia."

"Maybe it was Khelt Aleister," Sam suggested softly. "It was his son that took her away, wasn't it?"

"It was..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"So....then...who is carving my story?" Julia asked, looking over at Brogan with a frown. "Surely not Kell. He hasn't been with us that long."

 

[KieranSoares]

"i don' know any were tha' know us well an' are artists."

"I do," Sam said quietly. "Last time I came here, I caught him carving the Chester crest."

"... Kreston." Brogan looked to Julia. "He's always adored you, love. He'd want t'do your story justice. He wouldn' want someone who didn' know you t'carve it." Kell of course knew just about everything about the Ghis because it'd been a part of his job, but he was not from a tribal background. But Kreston was the Lunar who'd stood at Julia's side for most of her story since she'd located him alongside Ruben near Edinburgh. It was partly because of her friendship and her support that the Gol Dun had moved to Inverness. He loved her dearly and was unswervingly loyal, and he was one of few people who knew the sadder and more heartbreaking parts of her story. However, he wouldn't give her secrets away. Whatever story he told, it wouldn't compromise her dignity.

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia was speechless as it was revealed that Kreston was the one telling her story. She knew that he would treat it with dignity and respect. It humbled her that the were thought enough of her to even want to continue on with the tradition. After Cassie, it could have all ended. However, it was also apparent that Ghell was continuing Kitty's story as well, telling the former queen's life until it finally ended.

"If he feels the need to tell us what he is doing, then we will talk about it." Julia finally murmured, looking at Brogan and Sam. "Let's not disturb him if he is working on this."

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan nodded, but before he stepped away, he looked back to Cassie's story. He took a close look at the shadow of the dark wolf, seeing golden eyes had been painted in, but also a detail someone other than Khelt Aleister wouldn't have known about. Khelt the Second had had a very unique curved dagger, one that his father now carried and had once offered to Brogan to destroy as it had ended Cassie's life. But Brogan had refused, knowing it was all Khelt had left of his son.

Brogan quietly stepped back, wrapping an arm about Julia's waist. "Ghell, Khelt, and Kreston... While Ghell doesn't surprise me, I wouldn't have expected the other two to continue th' queens' stories."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Khelt doesn't surprise me. He probably feels an immense amount of guilt for what his son did to Cassie and Annie." Julia said as Brogan wrapped his arm around her waist and held her tightly. "But I'm happy that she isn't being forgotten. Even Annie comes to see her painting in the keep more often now that Danny is here. He'll know his Grandmother as well as anyone else."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm honestly surprised I'm so much a part of these... I appear as much as Aodh." He looked back to the pieces of his story with Kitty, as the tiny, trail boy trying so hard to earn his father's love and pride. "Ghell knew all too well how small an' weak I was... No one expected me t'live long as a newborn til Selma Daxa saved me... An' no one expected me t'amount t'much more'n a runt, save Ma an' my siblings an' Ghell..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You're one of the longest serving kings, love. You have ruled over more years of peace than anyone else. Why wouldn't your story be one of the most important?" Julia asked, looking up at her husband. "It doesn't matter if someone is born small. It matters what they do with their lives."

 

[KieranSoares]

"This is for queens, not kings. But I'm honored Ghell thinks I'm vital t'the story. I suppose I'm a'lesst responsible fer two queens o' Inverness." He looked down at Julia with a little smile. "I'm lookin' forward t'escort Kreston carves fer you."

 

[heartofcourage]

"He'll get tired with all of our children to carve." Julia said, giving her husband a smirk. "Let that be a lesson to you, Samuel. Without all of the help in the world, seven children is nearly impossible. Keep your family small. Your father and I love all of you with everything that we have, but it is exhausting."

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam just shook his head at that. "Ma, you know I'm not interested in those things. I'll be too busy anyway."

"So was I, lad," Brogan chuckled.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Samuel Durban Ghis, you know better than to deny your mother her chance to spoil grandchildren. I've already got Danny, but I expect each and every one of you to present me with a baby to spoil when the time is right. Ciaran included." Julia warned him with a grin, laughing as her sun blushed deep red and gave her a slightly baffled glance. "Love, I just want you happy, no matter how long it takes for you to get there."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Let him think he's too busy for love a while longer, lass. It'll hit 'im one day." Brogan teased, and Sam rolled his eyes, wandering back down the wall of stories until he found one of another queen depicted on her own, no spouse or children. "Da? Who's this?"

"Must be Elyra. Inverness' only lone queen."

"Why was she alone?" Sam asked quietly, rather puzzled at the unclear imagery of the single armored woman carrying a tower shield and a broken axe.

"She was orphaned at around ten. Then when she was sixteen, she an' Prince Tornan the Third married. He was forced off t'battle a week later, died almost as soon as 'e reached th'battlefield. King Tornan the Second died in battle later, an' Queen Rosalind took his place. She died of heartbreak before she could really do anything. So Elyra was alone. She spent twenty years fighting til Inverness knew peace again. Never married again, never even entertained suitors. She laid down laws tha' still stand today, about legal ages of adulthood an' maturity, and made th' law tha' suits t'girls under fifteen would be unacceptable. Basically, she did a lot fer women t'support their Independence an' their right t'refuse unwanted suitors no matter what their families say. An' she made it clear t'the church tha' women were t'be allowed t'anull their marriage if their husband was abusive 'r didn't do his part. Some o' those laws were taken out later, but I reinstated almos' all of 'em, out o' respect fer my sisters."

"Who succeeded her if she didn't have children?" Sam looked at Brogan with a raised eyebrow. "I thought we were directly related t'Dianh."

"We are, because Elyra had one child. A daughter named Cerylan." Brogan motioned to the image of the next queen. "Elyra never said who 'er father was, but some stories claim 'e might've been a wandering werewolf tha' Elyra'd been smitten with. Elyra ended up bein' th'oldest queen in our history. Cerylan took over when she passed, then passed th'crown t'her own daughter."

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia took a seat in the grass next to the little pond as Brogan explained the history to Sam, approaching the stone wall and looking at all of the wonderful history that was there.

"One day, the next queen's story will be told as well. And time will move on as it always does." Julia said, looking at father and son as they both explored.

Both were built similarly and Sam was catching up in height. While Sam's hair was cropped short, Brogan's was long and tied back handsomely. Sam's skin was slightly lighter than his father's, but it was very clear that he was the son of Brogan Ghis. He was much more like his father than he would ever know, truly.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Rho's story will end up here too, then," Sam murmured, noting that all the queens had at least a few images of the king before, during, and after their reign.

"Probably," Brogan nodded. "But we'll see. Who knows, maybe he'll realize 'e doesn' want t'be King."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Sometimes fate can change your path when you least expect it, Sam. Never count out the possibility that the crown might pass to you instead. Your father never thought that he would sit on the throne today. If your uncle hadn't failed in his attempt to fight your grandfather, things would have turned out much differently for all of us." Julia explained as Sam seemed so confused over everything that they were talking about.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm no' gonna be a king," Sam insisted with a shake of his head. "I wouldn' be good fer the people an' I'm more use out of the keep than in it. I'll protect whoever takes over, but no. 'Prince' is as far as I'm goin'."

Brogan looked down at his son with quiet surprise. He hadn't realized Sam felt so strongly about it.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Prince is the title you were born with, Samuel. King is a title that you must earn." Julia said as Brogan looked down at his son with surprise. "Your father didn't simply inherit the title. He had to fight for it and earn the respect of his people. Never confuse those facts. If we deem that Rho isn't a good fit, the throne would go to someone else."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Either way, it won't be me," Sam told her with absolute confidence. He felt he knew his calling, that it was not at the helm but beside it, protecting his family and the common folk.

 

[heartofcourage]

"He gets his stubborn streak from you, love." Julia said with a laugh as Sam soon came to join her on the ground next to the water. "But I suppose I have to love you no matter what, huh?"

She kissed her son's cheek and wrapped her arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. "You were always the most stubborn twin. You had so many bruises on your legs when you were learning to walk because you would throw a fit if someone tried to help you. Same when you learned how to ride. I told your father that if you broke a hip falling out of the saddle, I would personally tan his hide for allowing you to try it so often."