Ghis (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"Good thing you 'ave a treasurer then," Brogan drew up his bow at the sound of the bugle, nocking an arrow and guiding his charger sideways to a better vantage point.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate did the same as her father, her form nearly identical to his own. He had taught her everything she knew about hunting, with a few lessons thrown in by her uncles. It was little surprise that she tended to copy him in nearly everything.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan had his bow at full draw long before the large bristling boar came tearing through the brush. Both their arrows flew at the same time, and hit in the same spot on either side of the beast, just behind the shoulder.

With a squeal, the beast turned course toward Kate, but it's legs gave out and it came sliding to a halt at her horse's feet. Brogan dismounted and drew his blade, seeing the boar still breathing and twitching. "Thank ya, friend," Kate heard her father whisper, as he often did before he took a beast's life. The tip.of the claymore sunk through the boar's neck and with a small jerk of the blade, severed the spinal cord and the beast fell still.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate dismounted as her father finished off the boar, stepping towards the great animal as if gave its last breath. "Larger than the ones we have in Inverness. I wouldn't have thought that considering the woods are much thinner here."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Different species, an' different food, more fat," Brogan explained, looking up as the other riders arrived once more. "Well done, lads,. Easiest hunt I've 'ad down 'ere."

Brogan unsheathed his knives for the job, offering one to Kate and one to Cole as it would be faster with three. Brogan had made sure to help Kate get over disgust with skinning and cleaning animals early, preparing her to be able to hunt as an adult should life not pan out toward courts and money.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate worked alongside her Da and her Uncle Cole to skin and divide out the meat. She had never been shy about working on an animal, knowing that an animal might be the difference between a meal and starvation. She had soft spots for small creatures such as rabbits, but she also respected them as a source of food.

 

[KieranSoares]

The Edinburgh guardsmen had been about to do Kate's work for her, but watched in surprise as she so willingly got her hands dirty, deftly and precisely dividing up parts of the boar. Cole packed it all into sacks made of oilskin, and soon they were all cleaning their hands and tools.

"Ye'll outdo any hunter in Edinburgh if y'keep this up," Brogan commented proudly.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Good. Maybe they'll learn a thing or two from me." Kate said as she cleaned off her hands and her weapons, carefully sheathing them again.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan simply smiled to himself at her confident answer. "Any city-dweller can learn from a wild Scot."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Damn certain.” Kate said with a grin as she turned to help her uncle load the meat into their saddle bags.

 

[KieranSoares]

Once everything was secure, the group headed back to the city limits, but Brogan stopped them around the marketplace. He sent one Invernessian and one Royal guard back to the castle with the saddlebags, taking the spare time to wander with Kate around the market.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate knew that her father was trying to stretch out every single moment that they had left together. He wanted to spend time with her and she was very willing to do as he wanted. She held his hand as they walked the market, looking at a few stalls, but mostly enjoying each other.

"You'll have to take Heather and Ashelin to market when you get back home. I know it's not the same as going with me, but they would still enjoy a get away with you." Kate said, giving him a smile as she saw the worry in his eyes. "We'll still write each other all the time. I'm sure more than a few times a week. And it's not goodbye forever."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know all tha', love," Brogan sighed, wrapping his arms around her much smaller form. "You an' yer mother... Hell, everyone reminds me constantly tha' there'll be visits, letters, other things t'do. But tha' doesn' make it better. My little girl's left home an' she'll never be back fer good... A' least no' in my lifetime. I'm no' gonna feel better 'r distract myself. I'll jus' have to get used to it."

 

[heartofcourage]

“It’ll take getting used to for the both of us.” Kate admitted as she hugged her father tightly.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Your mother'll try t'distract me fer a few weeks before she gives up on me..." Brogan chuckled softly. "Partly t'distract 'erself too. She takes it all gracefully in stride, but havin' you kids grow up an' start yet own lives is tough fer her too."

 

[heartofcourage]

“Make sure to treat her like the angel that she is. Spoil her as much as possible.” Kate said with a smile. “She deserves it all and more.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'd never deny 'er anythin' within my power t'give," Brogan promised. "I'd walk into Hell with a smile if she asked." Brogan had always made sure his children knew the love he and Julia shared. He felt it was important especially for nobility to value love over power or convenience.

 

[heartofcourage]

"It's the same way that I feel about Kell." Kate admitted as they spoke about her Ma. "He loves me even with all of my faults and makes me feel like I can do absolutely anything that I put my mind to. There's no one else out there that could complete me in the same way."

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan couldn't help a bittersweet smile, pulling Kate a little closer. "Damned Wolf anyway... Takin' my little girl away, bein' too good t'her t'warrant threats an' stealin' her back..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You'll be fine, Da. I know you will be." Kate whispered as he held her tighter, his heart aching at losing her.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan kissed her forehead and held her as long as he could before finally letting go with a sigh. "I love ya, Kitten," he murmured.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I love you too, Da." Kate said, giving him a grin as he finally let her go. "Come on. I'll buy you something in the market to remember me by."

She took his large hand in her own, tugging him to start walking again as they continued to look among the stalls. Edinburgh seemed to have everything that Inverness had, but much much more. There were people from all different places, exotic wears spread out and waiting for someone to come along to purchase them.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Isn' it th'highlands tha's supposed t'buy things fer 'is little girl?" Brogan asked with a soft chuckle as they went along. In Inverness, the royal family and their relatives were treated as honored visitors and friends around town and the market. But in Edinburgh, people were far less friendly and more formal. People quickly got out of Kate's way and bowed their heads at the least when she passed. Shopkeepers were highly attentive, and patrolling guardsmen nearby who saw her were on alert and kept perfect form.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Not when his little girl is the queen of this entire country." Kate said with a grin, ignoring the people that were acting so formal when they passed by. "I'm thinking something with a K on it or a knife that you can use all of the time."

 

[KieranSoares]

"How about this..." Brogan murmured, pausing as he spotted a vendor selling coats and cloaks. He reached out to touch a steel cloak pin with a snarling highland wildcat shaped into the metal. "Jus' like you when yer angry."