Ghis (closed)

[KieranSoares]

Gabriel turned to face his aunt and gave her a tired smile. "What can I do for you, Aunt Julia?" His smile faltered with worry and the odd look in her eyes. "Something wrong?" He faced her fully and reached out a hand to touch her arm.

 

[heartofcourage]

"It's just been a long day, love." Julia said softly, giving him a smile of reassurance. "I have a request though. I want you to watch Kate for me. I'm afraid that she's going to do something foolish and I want someone watching over her. I'd ask Ruben, but with a family of his own, I'm afraid it would be too much."

 

[KieranSoares]

Gabriel nodded and smiled once more, "Sure." He leaned in to kiss her cheek. "You haven't met my family yet, have you? They'll be headed up this way when things are a little safer. But I'll keep a close eye on Kate, don't worry."

It was late that night after she was certain her family was asleep that Kate climbed out of her window and headed for the prison. Her father's old claymore from its mount on the fireplace was strapped across her back, and she had supplies for two to travel, and a key to the stables. She would get this Kell to take her to his handlers.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Thank you, love." Julia said, relieved that her nephew was willing to watch over his cousin.

Kate knew all the inner workings of the prison from having lived in Inverness with freedom her entire life. She had played with the jailers children in those halls when she was little. It was easy to slip in without anyone seeing her and she found Kell's cell with ease. Standing there in front of the darkened doorway, she knew that he was watching.

"If I set you free, will you take me to your handlers?"

 

[KieranSoares]

Those golden eyes shone in the dark, watching her with little interest. "Go home, Princess. Don't try to be a hero." He turned away from her with some difficulty thanks to the wound she'd left in his back. A guard had treated it with a bandage and herbal mash, but hadn't bothered to give painkillers after what the wolf had attempted to do.

 

[heartofcourage]

"That's not an option any longer. You can't just tell me a huge secret and then expect me to simply just go away." Kate said, moving to unlock his cell door.

 

[KieranSoares]

"What do you care? It won't make a difference in the long run. Now go away before you get yourself in trouble..." Kell spoke as if he'd simply given up, and as if he'd been miserable for a long time even before his mission. Something was different about him, because he certainly was not just a cold-blooded assassin for hire. If he had been, he would've accepted her money offer.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Fine. I'll just go without you then." Kate said, calling his bluff. "You can stay here and be hung or you can come with me and figure out just what's going on. It's all up to you."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You won't find them..." He rose slowly, his chains dragging as he came to face her. Despite how she'd seen him in the dim light before, it still felt like she'd not truly seen him yet, he blended so perfectly in shadow and was so mysterious a sight. "Fine... but you're only walking into your parents' deaths and quite possibly your entire family's. You shouldn't be wasting time with me, you should be calling every friend your people have in order to fend off a horde of monsters coming your way."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I don't need to. I can do this on my own." Kate said with more bravado then she felt. "Besides, if you haven't noticed, there's not much that can harm my father and mother."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Have you not noticed your father has become useless as a fighter, and your mother is carrying not only a child, but a war and a blinded husband and a one-armed son?" Kell then sighed and looked away. "I will help you... if only for the sake of the fact that your parents deserve far better than what's been forced upon them by the hatred of other people..." So he had a heart. Odd for an assassin.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You act as if you care what happens to the Ghis." Kate said simply, watching the man's strange emotions play out. "Why would an assassin, who has no allegiance except to money, care what happens to one family?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"If I was doing this job for money, I would've gladly defected when you offered me double," Kell growled at her as if offended. "I'm fighting for the same reason you are, Princess." He drew back suddenly and said quietly, "But my reason is probably done for, so... I may as well help the side that deserves to win."

 

[heartofcourage]

"If you are fighting for a person, I can help you in any way possible." Kate said softly, knowing that there was more on the table for this man then what he was telling her. She wasn't a stupid girl, even if she was given to a bad temper from time to time.

 

[KieranSoares]

"The only way you can help me is to come back with me, that's the only way they'll let my sister go," Kell muttered, finally meeting her eyes again. "They picked me for this job because I'm the son of the wolf who killed your father's first wife and nearly Brogan himself and the girl Annie. I was raised to be a killer, but I never wanted to hurt anyone. So they took my five-year old sister to force me... but she's so sickly, she's probably dead already. I don't know if you care, and I don't really give a damn if you do or not. So get me out of here and let's just get this over with." Kell was simply used to being the only one who cared about himself and his sister.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You obviously don't believe she's dead or else you would rebelled by now. No one can stay in bondage that long and not have some sort of hope." Kate said as she opened the door to his cell, standing aside to let him out.

 

[KieranSoares]

"You don't know anything about things like this at all, Princess," he growled as he stepped past her. It was just about then that a guard came round the corner. Kell was like a bolt of lightning, grabbing the man in a headlock until he passed out from lack of air. The moment he fell limp, Kell released him and let him lay quietly on the floor. He'd be fine, and wake up soon enough. Thankfully the guard hadn't seen Kate.

Kell disappeared into the shadows then, and it became very easy to lose track of him, though it wasn't clear if he was trying to escape from her or not. He easily pilfered his belongings from the lockup that the prison kept, and he made his way soundlessly right out the front doors. Once outside, he pulled his cloak hood up and walked as if he was simply a normal wolf on his way to his lodgings in the night. He headed for the back side of town beyond the Keep where the smaller back gate lay leading to the harbor. It was kept half-open for the late workers in the harbor, but heavily guarded as the main gate.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate was surprised that he moved so quickly and silently. She struggled to keep up with him, but soon found herself left hopelessly behind.

"Wait!" She whispered into the darkness. "You need to wait for me!"

 

[KieranSoares]

No answer came, but the moment she got out of the gate, she caught the glint of golden eyes looking back at her. "I won't leave you behind," he murmured softly, and his eyes turned to the north horizon. "We'll take a rowboat and cross the bay. From the opposite shore, Wick is a day's walk. We won't be stopping at all." With that, he was off again, dodging around those who might see him. Many knew his predecessor's face, the assassin of Cassie, and Kell himself looked incredibly similar. It was best if as few people saw him as possible. Kate lost him again on the docks, until she was suddenly pulled down off the side of the dock and into a small rowboat, and she ended up in Kell's lap. He helped her find the seat beside him in the dark, and he put an oar in her hand. "In time with me," he whispered, and slowly but surely, they made their way out and away from the dock.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate was completely lost in the darkness as Kell arranged her as he wanted. She soon felt the thick length of an oar between her fingers and she knew exactly what to do. She nodded her understanding and took his lead in rowing.

 

[KieranSoares]

The rowing was hard and lasted hours until Kell finally made Kate sit across from him and he took over both oars until they were gliding along at a good speed. As the sun began to rise, Kate got her first real look at the mysterious wolf. He was just as she'd once imagined her sister's mother's killer to look; lithe, lean, gracefully deadly. But despite the unease and sinister feeling he could bring about at will, he looked like a very natural being with a close connection to nature. Light revealed leaf patterns in his cloak and vest, and vines in white on his white shirt underneath when he took off his jacket and cloak. His eyes looked like they should sparkle in sun, but they were dulled with hopelessness and distress and doubt. Still, he didn't falter.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate studied this mysterious stranger in the light of morning, gaining as much as she could from his appearance that she couldn't get from his personality. Her certainly looked like a killer, but he hadn't done anything else that would suggest he was about to do anything crazy.

"How does someone become an assassin? Doesn't that weigh heavily on your mind?" Kate asked him, her curiosity getting the best of her.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kell was quiet for a moment as he considered her questions, and he blew out a silent sigh. Everything about him was so controlled and silent. "I was born and raised, quite literally, to kill and follow in my family's footsteps. We have all always been killers. I didn't know it was wrong until I was thirteen and I was sent to kill a month-old child. I guess some sort of instinct my trainers had tried to stifle managed to awaken. I failed that mission and paid dearly, and my handler finished the job."

He was quiet a moment more before he continued, "Most of us are bred for the job or enter in for money with the help of someone with the coin to buy our training from the Assassin's Guild." And after another long silence, he muttered, "And... yes... it does weigh very heavily if you have the unfortunate affliction of having any heart at all."

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate nodded, listening intently to his story. She had always been a listener, one that took what people were saying and internalized it to process and remember. She couldn't imagine a life so lonely, especially since she had always had a loving family around her.

"Well, when we are done with this, I would like to invite you to live in Inverness. You could always have a home there." She offered, unsure as to why she was giving this man the benefit of the doubt. "My Uncle Kreston is like you. My cousin Ruben too."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Don't put them down to my level," he muttered quickly and said no more.

When they finally reached the opposite shore, Kell made her stay with the boat while he disappeared, and soon he returned with two horses, handing her the lead of one soundlessly. He climbed up on his own with a grace that told her of his skill, similar to David and Annie. Finally he spoke, "Your family won't be happy with you..."