Ghis (closed)

[heartofcourage]

Julia retreated into herself as the assault continued, whimpering when Arland finally branded her with his seed. She closed her eyes in shame, tears welling in their depths as the seed burned like fire in her belly. Why had this happened, she asked herself as she heard Brogan telling them to let her and the children go home. She wanted to be at home, sitting quietly with her baby, her daughter, and her husband.

Sarah grinned as Arland offered her time alone with them. She nodded, kissing his cheek before she glanced down at Brogan. “Of course I do, my love. Go and check on your troops. It should almost be time for us to make our move on Inverness.”

She kissed him one last time before he left the room and she turned her sights to Brogan. “Do you agree to our little arraignment, my lord?” She asked him, smiling sweetly as Julia whimpered on the bed behind them.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Only if m'family goes free. All of 'em," Brogan growled dangerously, then he sat back on his knees, finally submitting. "I'll seal th'agreement... but after, I wan' t'see 'em go safely on 'orses, no one followin' 'em." He hung his head low, and then he asked one more thing that'd been bothering him since he learned it was all Sarah's doing. "Why d'ya want me so bad, Sarah...? There're plenty o' men out there that'd love t'be with ya..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Brogan, no!" Julia cried as she heard him ask for their release. She couldn't leave him here by himself...she wouldn't do that...

Sarah turned to look at Julia with her outburst, the dagger in her hand ready for more blood when Brogan's next words broke through her concentration. She turned back to the object of her affection and her usually beautiful face turned very dark.

"I was the girl you were suppose to marry. The moment you saw Cassandra though everything changed."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Tha's done now... Cassie's dead an' gone an' you win..." Brogan muttered. "I..." He had to force himself to say it, "I'm yours, Sarah..." His eyes met Julia's, begging silently for her understanding and forgiveness. There was no other option he could see to keep his family safe.

"Can... can I jus' say goodbye t'my family before they go...?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia let out a howl as Brogan agreed and she started to pull at her bonds, her eyes catching his as he begged for forgiveness. No, she wouldn't let the situation get that far. Sarah huffed and turned back towards Julia to release her from the bed.

"I suppose I can allow that this once." She said as she reached from the shackles on Julia's legs, releasing them one by one. "However if you speak of them again after this I will not hesitate to order them killed. Understand?"

She turned her gaze towards Brogan, missing the punishing kick that was leveled at her head. The hit sounded through the room with a sickening thud and Sarah crumbled to the ground in a heap, the dagger skittering out of her hand.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Julia!" Brogan gasped at her sudden show of violence. "Why th'bloody Hell'd ya do tha'? Yer only makin' it worse fer yerself, love!" His voice gave away just how terrified he was for her, and he shook his head as he looked down. "This is 'ow it 'as t'be... fer Annie an' Ciaran's sake... Don' fight anymore, love... we lost..."

The great king of Inverness had finally been laid low by hardship. He'd given up hope for himself, only holding on to hope for his children and his wife.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I won't hear you talk like that, love." Julia said as she rolled over on her belly and shimmied up the bed to detach her shackles from the headboard.

Still bound she hurried off the bed, hissing at the pain in her leg that slowed her to a limp. Soon she had her shackles around Brogan's throat, hiding onto him tightly as she let his presence sooth her frayed nerves. Kissing him gently, she knew that she had to keep his spirits up to survive this.

"I'll unchain you and then we must get free of here. My guard is loyal to us, love, and he will take good care of the wee ones." She kissed her husband again, needing so badly to rid herself of the horrible feeling of Arland.

Soon she was working on his chains, she shackled wrists making it slow work but she was determined to get them out of this alive.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan was beyond glad to kiss Julia in return, but in the middle of a third kiss, a tiny click sounded and suddenly Brogan's arms were wrapped around her. He looked down at her in shock, but he could only kiss her again to show her how proud he was. "Move back a momen', darlin'... I need tha' knife." Once she moved back, Brogan reached out for the blade. Just as he did, though, the door opened, and there stood Arland.

At first, Brogan had a precious couple seconds while Arland was distracted by the painful shock of seeing Sarah unconscious on the floor. When Arland turned and was about to draw his sword, the giant Scotsman had risen. And the last thing the King of Wick saw was his own blood spilling from his chest and belly when Brogan ripped him apart with the knife.

Throwing the dying man into a corner, Brogan freed himself from the rest of his chains with the tip of the dagger as a lockpick, and Julia saw all the cuts and blood from the shackles caused by his fighting earlier.

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia witnessed Brogan dispatch Wick with a sick feeling in her stomach. He had defiled her, but her husband made sure that he would never hurt a living person ever again. When his body was disposed of, she waited patiently as Brogan freed himself from the chains and picked the lock on her shackles. Then she held him tightly in her arms, burying her nose against his throat.

“Oh, love…I never thought I’d see you again.” She whispered, her naked body shivering in his arms as she felt her voice break with thick emotion.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan wrapped her up in a warm embrace, kissing her cheek lovingly. "I promised a long time ago tha' I'd protect ya no matter what... I tried, but I failed, love..." he looked down at her with deeper pain and guilt in his eyes than she'd even seen when she first asked about Cassie. "How can ya even be near me...?"

 

[heartofcourage]

“Because I love you, Brogan.” She murmured, pressing her lips against his throat. “And I don’t blame you for any of this.”

“We need to leave, love. Give me your tunic and we’ll sneak back to get out babies.” She murmured, her forehead pressing tightly against his as she saw the guilt and pain in his eyes. “You still have a lot of work to do here, Brogan Ghis. Show them why you are the mighty king of Inverness.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan kissed her with all the adoration in the world, hardly able to believe her strength amidst their world nearly crumbling around them. He pulled off his tunic and wrapped it around her alongside his kilt, and then he climbed out the window with her after opening it as quietly as possible. Slowly but surely, they darted from cover to cover to reach the prison. Once there, he silently killed a guard and stole his sword and keys, using them to enter the building in complete stealth. Luckily for them, most of the guards had joined the soldiers. Brogan eventually located the correct cell, but he didn't have a key for it.

He picked the lock carefully as he could and swung the door open quietly. There they found Theo laying wounded on the floor with three dead men around him, clutching a sleeping Ciaran and a terrified Annie close. He was whispering comforting words to the girl, promising that she'd be home soon.

Theo looked up fearfully as the door opened, knowing he'd die if he tried to fight. Seeing the royal couple, he nearly cried in relief. "Oh, thank ya, God..." he whispered.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Da!” Annie cried out, running to her father and practically jumping into his arms. She snuggled against him, whimpering as his strong arms held her tightly.

“I’m so glad you’re well, my little love.” Julia whispered into Annie’s ear, kissing her cheek as her father held her tightly. “And my sweet little heart…”

She turned towards Theo, taking Ciaran from his arms and holding her son tightly. Silently she thanked God that her children were alright and that Theo had protected them so fiercely. She looked up at Theo, giving him a small smile.

“You must come with us, Theo. You and your sister will have a good home in Inverness, that much I can swear to you.” Julia said softly, knowing that they didn’t have much time for this conversation.

 

[KieranSoares]

Theo looked down at the floor, "My sister..." his gaze fell to another body in the corner, his dear sister huddled tightly there, long dead. "She was protectin' the li'l lad..."

Brogan reached out to place a hand on Theo's shoulder. "Then y'come with us an' live on. 'Er sacrifice won' be in vain. Ye'll see."

"Thank ya, m'keng... I promise y'won't regret takin' me in. I'll show ya a hidden way out fer guards durin' riots."

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia felt her heart sink as she looked towards the body of the woman that had helped out her family so immensely. She held Ciaran closer, pressing her lips to his forehead and silently giving thanks to that woman for being so brave as Brogan comforted Theo. She finally turned her eyes back to the two men, nodding as Theo claimed he could take them through the tunnels.

“Love, carry Annie and I’ll take care of Ciaran.” She said softly, bundling their slumbering son a little tighter to ward off the chill of the winter outside. “Annie, love, snuggle close to your Da.”

 

[KieranSoares]

Theo led them out just after Brogan picked up Annie, and Brogan whispered gently to his daughter, "Sweet'eart... if any bad men come our way, I'm gonna set ya down, an' you get be'ind me s' I can protect ya, alright? If ya do a good job o' it, I promise when we get 'ome I'll 'ave Val make ya tha' Italian cake y'like so much." He would do anything to calm her down and restore her hope. "We'll be 'ome b'fore ya know it."

And they did encounter trouble. Theo drew his blade as four men came round the corner, but Brogan set Annie down and bade Theo step back as he was injured. Brogan drew the blade he'd taken from the dead guard earlier. "Annie, look away, darlin'," he warned softly, before leaping at the men like a mad beast. They were so frightened of his ferocity that one dropped his sword and ran and the other three hesitated too long, each were felled in seconds.

"Theo... d'ya know where m'claymore migh' be?" Brogan looked to the other huge man.

"We'll be comin' up on th'armoury where they keep prisoners' weapons soon," Theo nodded to him. And, as promised, they soon did. Theo and Brogan took down the two guards there too, and Brogan rifled through all the weapons for only a moment before he found his claymore on its belt and his other belt carrying his hatchet and knife. He quickly buckled them on and scooped up Annie again. The group hurried on and encountered little more resistance before reaching the end of the hall. Theo barrreled right into the wall, causing it to crumble and reveal a passage.

"Go on, I'll take up th'rear," Theo bade them quietly.

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia looped her fingers through Brogan's belt as they entered the dark tunnel. Ciaran whimpered and she pressed him more firmly against her chest, trying to shush him as Annie was sandwiched between her body and Brogan's. The little girl looked terrified but was trying so hard to be brave as they fought for their freedom.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan kissed Annie's forehead as they went, and whispered, "Tha's a good lass..." It didn't take too long to get outside, but a brewing blizzard met them. Brogan spoke up, "Theo, th'kids can' stand t'be out 'ere long. I'm no' sure Julia 'r I can either."

"We don' 'ave t'go far, an' we'll get there faster with 'orses." theo led them on to the very nearby soldiers' stables, where he was able to steal three horses with surprising ease. Of course, all the soldiers and guards had huddled down in barracks or at home to wait out the blizzard.

They were soon galloping out of the parade grounds of the Wick soldiers unchecked, riding toward the western highlands and forest. Brogan now had Ciaran as he was able to offer more warmth. They rode for nearly a half-hour before they reached the edge of the forest and Brogan had to stop them. He left Ciaran to Julia while he and Theo began digging in the snow.

Thankfully it was quite deep around the untouched edges of the forest, and within minutes they had a windbreaking wall up, the beginnings of a snowpack shelter. Theo laid out his tunic on the ground for Julia to settle on while Brogan built a hasty fire, and then the two went back to work, building the shelter as quickly as their freezing bodies would allow. It was almost an hour when Brogan broke open a small entrance and slipped inside with Theo. He tended the fire and made sure there was a large enough hole in the ceiling of the snowpack to let the smoke out. Soon, they settled, struggling to warm frostbitten fingers and painfully cold shirtless bodies. As they began to warm, Brogan moved closer to Julia and his children, looking over them all with deep concern, especially Ciaran. Luckily, the boy seemed to be alright and was asleep. Brogan leaned in to kiss his wife, and even though she could feel the deep love and guilt, she could also feel his weakness. Even for the furnace his body was, the cold had done a number on him.

Brogan soon pulled Annie into his arms once he was warm, and he kissed her forehead before laying his head against her own, "I'm proud o' you, darlin'," he whispered. "My brave li'l lass..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I wanna go home, Da." Annie said tearfully, hugging her father right and letting her fear finally release. "Can we go home to Gram?"

"It's alright, love. We'll be home soon." Julia said, patting her daughter's back as she cradled her son closely to her chest.

She wanted to believe everything was alright but everything weighed on her heart until Julia felt as if she would surely drown. She wanted to lose it, to sob in her husband's arms and forget that the whole thing had ever happened.

 

[KieranSoares]

"We all need a good rest, love," Brogan encouraged. "Y'jus' settle 'ere an' I promise everythin'll turn out jus' fine." He let her half-lay against him so she could sleep warmly. He could sleep sitting up just fine with how tired he was.

Theo would keep awake on watch for half the night, then Brogan the other half, and the night passed with the only disturbance of peace being the occasional howl of wind outside. Brogan sang a soft Irish lullaby to Annie, one she would remember from Cassie, to ease her as well as his family, even himself to sleep.

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia dozed through the night, holding Ciaran close to her for added warmth. She was thankful the baby wouldn't remember this night. She was worried about Annie and the nightmares that might be coming. As a family they could make it through anything she told herself but one thought weighed heavily on her mind.

When Ciaran started to cry in hunger, Julia dutifully sat up as she did every night since his birth and let him latch on to her breast. She sighed at the comforting pull of his little lips and the hungry grunts he made. Glancing up at Brogan her green gaze met his and she leaned her forehead to press firmly against his own. It was only then that she allowed herself to cry silently, letting her husband see her sorrow and anguish.

"What if he...what if wick..." She couldn't finished her whispered words to upset at the thought of her rape just hours ago.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan watched her tears fall with incredible pain that cut to his very soul. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, keeping the other securely around Annie. "If anythin' does come o' it... we'll be okay, darlin', an' I know I'll love tha' baby just as much as Ciaran. Because any child tha' comes from you is perfect." He kissed her lips gently. He only wished he could do something more, even go back in time and stop it from happening.

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia kissed her husband with a soothed sigh. She still worried about what the future would hold but she knew that Brogan was a good man who treated her like gold. She still cried until there were no more tears. When the kiss ended she simply stared at her husband and let Ciaran finish feeding. After he was burped and swaddled again, peacefully asleep, she looked at her husband.

"We need to get home, Brogan. If anything we need to be back on our lands in case Wick's forces mobilize."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Knowin' Sarah... she'll find a way t' take control now tha' Wick is dead... At a quick pace, we'll be 'ome t'morrow afternoon. We'll stop south o' th' border o' Inverness' lands in th'mornin', get an escort 'ome an' a proper meal." Brogan shifted, bringing Julia to lean on him. "Sleep, darlin'... it's late an' y'need it." He kissed her forehead warmly.

 

[heartofcourage]

Her green eyes fluttered closed slowly as he kissed her forehead. Leaning against Brogan, Julia finally allowed herself to relax and get the much needed sleep that she needed to be able to care for her family and get them to safety. She was still worried though about things that would happen in the future, but she finally decided that they were factors beyond her control.