Ghis (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"My family will forgive me." Kate said softly as she pulled herself into the saddle. "We need time apart, especially after my Ma and Da admitted that I am indeed the daughter of Arland Wick."

 

[KieranSoares]

"It doesn't matter if you're his by blood. Your real father never let it bother him." Of course Brogan was her real father. He'd raised her just like any of his children, sometimes even giving her a little more attention because she was so much like him and they connected the most. He loved all his children but his bond with Kate was different, and incredibly special, especially for a father and daughter.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I don't want to think about my Da right now." Kate said shortly, looking at her companion for a long moment before she turned her eyes back to the trail before them.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Just don't hold something against your parents that they had no control over," Kell reminded her softly, and said no more.

The road was more barren, more harsh than those further south. Kell led her with hardly any stops, to Wick. Most people there had no idea who she was and shied away from Kell because he was a wolf. They'd been traveling without a break to eat for some time, except for the horses whom Kell traded for new, fresh horses. It seemed he was used to going for long periods without any sustenance, whereas Kate was not.

When they came to the outer rim of the city, they stopped as dusk fell and Kell disappeared after getting Kate a room in a homely inn. He returned fifteen minutes later with an obviously-stolen dinner of bread, some manner of pork, and a hard apple that he had brought as a thought to get her something sweet. He settled on the floor of her room with his own, smaller portion of the meal, staring at the window in silence. Those golden eyes were a window to his racing thoughts for a short time, when they were normally able to block all detection of emotion.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate thanked him as he came back to their room with a simple meal. She had tried not to complain, but her belly had been rumbling for nearly three hours. She ate slowly and watched Kell for the longest of times. He was off in his own little world. She wondered what an assassin like him was thinking about.

"When was the last time that you saw your sister?" She asked him softly as she took a bite of the bread that was on her plate.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kell didn't answer for a moment, hardly wanting to think of his dear, weak little sister. "About half a year ago... I'm only doing this now because, even if she's alive or dead... it's what she'd want me to do. She wasn't a rebel, but she was the quiet supporter of freedom and choice... I was the one who acted on her beliefs."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I bet you'll be surprised." Kate said softly, watching Kell with interest as he spoke fondly about his sister. "Even the weakest soul can have the strongest spirit."

 

[KieranSoares]

"They warned me of the same thing about you," Kell muttered. She'd always been small and underestimated, but she always came back with a power twice that of men many times her size. "They said that you could easily overcome me if I lost the element of surprise... I guess they were right..." He subconsciously reached back to touch the wound in his back that probably wasn't doing well with all his moving and lack of proper care.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You left yourself open and I took a chance." Kate said, shrugging as if it were nothing. "I would do anything for my family...even if they did lie to me."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You really shouldn't think of it as a lie... It doesn't matter whose daughter you are by blood, it matters who the people are that have loved you and raised you and who the family is that has always been there for you," Kell spoke softly. "I can't tell you what to think... that's just how I see it."

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate thought about that for a long moment before she let out a sigh. "Da has always been there for me. He's the one that brushes my hair and taught me how to fight with a sword when I was little. It always made Ma a little mad, but I tried so hard to make her proud. She's always been so distracted with my brothers though...And now that Annie's gotten married, she has been busy helping her as well."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Perhaps she thinks you were always mature enough to take care of yourself, and she probably knows that your father is the better caretaker in your case. You know, what with your being so much like him as I've heard," Kell offered. Despite the trouble Kate could get into, she was also very self-sufficient and mature when required, and had been so from a young age somewhat like Ciaran and her father.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I just wish she could understand me and stop worrying so much." Kate muttered, pushing her plate of food away to sulk a little bit.

 

[KieranSoares]

"It's in a mother's soul to worry... you may understand that one day when it's your own children. For the short time I had mine, I understood." He was giving her pieces bit by bit, more to help her understand than to tell her about himself.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You had children?" Kate asked softly, surprised that he had even divulged that much information to her. "Do you have a wife?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"No. We didn't dare get married at the churches or tell anyone, or else my handlers would come for her in order to 'keep me focused' as they said. It was five years before they found out, and I'd been with her since I was sixteen." But he wouldn't continue after that. He knew Kate was plenty able to guess that his love had been disposed of along with his children. The only thing he said after that was, "Lilly was four, and Ali wasnt hardly six months."

 

[heartofcourage]

"That's horrible." Kate said softly, reaching out to touch his hand gently. "I know you'll probably refuse, but when this is all over, you can come to Inverness. No one will treat you like that there. My Uncle Kreston can even help you if you need it."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I doubt the Lunars will like having me there, I tarnish their good name by sporting fake tattoos based off their own." He smiled ever so slightly and bitterly. "But I will come... if only to help you."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You'll find many people in Inverness that have come to help someone had decided to stay forever." Kate said with a smile, lying back on the bed with a tired sigh. It had been a long night and journey so far and she knew it was only going to become tougher the further they went.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Forever is yet to be seen, dear Princess... but perhaps a while... just maybe." Kell let his back rest against the wall and he crossed his arms silently, his golden eyes falling half-closed. But she was lost to sleep before he.

Morning came late due to rain, and Kell knew she needed to rest a bit longer. So she woke on her own and found her dark companion perched in the wide window, his golden eyes staring out into the gloom and lost in deep thought. Not unlike her proud father when he used to stare into the flames of the hearth in early morning or late night.

He sighed quietly, his gaze turning to her. Those eyes were so soft and clear for a moment, before he resumed his expression of unreadable blankness.

 

[heartofcourage]

Waking that morning, Kate simply remained in place, watching Kell as he stared outside their window. He was so much like the men in her family that she didn't think it was odd at all. When his bright eyes turned towards her, she gave him a slight smile.

"You remind me a lot of my Da. He always seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders." She murmured sleepily, pushing her riot of red curls out of her face.

 

[KieranSoares]

"He does," was Kelly's simple answer as he rose. On the nightstand beside her she found a basin of fresh water, a hairbrush, and a clean cloth. Apparently Kell was trying to give her at least a little stability. "We'll leave in a half-hour... and get food on the way." He'd nearly forgotten about that.

 

[heartofcourage]

"It's alright. I don't need breakfast." Kate offered as she sat up and quickly set about washing her face with the basin of water.

Wiping off the water with the cloth, she picked up the brush and set about taming her wild hair. Her Da was the only one that really knew what to do with it and that thought made her miss him completely. She thought about all the little things that he did for her in her youth. Perhaps they were all right...it didn't matter who had gotten her mother pregnant. Her Da was the one that loved her the most.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Trust me, you do," Kell insisted softly. There was something odd about him that morning, as if his thoughts were getting in the way of properly functioning. But eventually he pushed his racing mind aside and they returned to their horses, feeding the animals and themselves before hurrying off.

As they trotted toward the Keep of Wick, Kell looked over at her, "The ruler in the nearest heir's stead is Regent General Hiram Ledger. He sent me for you... but I'm not exactly sure why he insisted I try to bring you back alive... he also ordered me to kill the next heir, Arland's brother of fourteen years old. If he turns fifteen before he dies, he will become king and Hiram will lose his only chance to legitimately claim the throne of the clan."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Is he a good man?" Kate asked about the heir to the Wick throne. "It has been so long since Inverness has enjoyed a good relationship with Wick. Perhaps with a new person on the throne, it will finally end the feud."