Ghis (closed)

[heartofcourage]

Kate watched silently as Kell made his way to his sister. She felt like she was intruding on the moment between the siblings and she very quietly turned to leave the room, giving them privacy.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Don't go," Kell said softly, more a timid request than anything else. He didn't want to be alone, even if he wouldn't say it out loud. And he believed if anyone should be there, it should be Kate. She'd become something special to him, though he wasn't quite sure what yet.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Are you sure?" Kate asked softly as Kell looked at her in the dim light. "I don't want to intrude."

 

[KieranSoares]

Kell's simple answer was to outstretch a hand to her, and he didn't have to say it for her to know that he didn't want to be alone. "I want her to meet you when she wakes up too... I want her to know who helped me get her back, and who helped me to do it without hurting people who didn't deserve to be hurt."

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate quietly took his hand, sitting down next to him as they waited for his sister to wake. Kate took the time to look down at her hand in Kell's, wondering what all of this meant. She had never been the kind of girl that went crazy over a handsome man, but she certainly did feel a strange emotion in her chest as she thought about Kell.

"There's a lovely little cabin in the woods for you and Mary in Inverness. My Da's good friend Ciaran built it and when he died in battle, my Da had it reserved for special guests. I'd really like it if you came there to live."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'd like that..." he nodded slowly, before adding even more quietly, "She would too." He reached out to brush a strand of hair from his young sister's forehead. "She always loved the forest. It's the wolf blood... she always wished she was a wolf like me, but the truth is, she's always been more of a wolf than most actual werewolves. Myself included as I got older..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Why has she not changed?" Kate asked softly, not really understanding how wolves worked despite growing up around them her entire life. "My cousin Ruben changed when he was ten. His son is about to change as well."

 

[KieranSoares]

"She's still too young to change if she was going to... with a human and a wolf as parents, girls are more likely to be born as wolves, but those who aren't are less likely to change. Boys are the opposite, more likely to be born human and more likely to change later if they weren't. She might... seeing as our mother, even if she was human, had wolf blood and our father was a pure wolf. It all depends on the nature of the human parent, whether or not the human child will change. Ruben... he's Selena and Kreston's son, isn't he? From all I know about Selena, she's a very natural sort of person, so it only stands to reason that Ruben changed."

He then paused and looked at Kate. "Come to think of it... the Ghis are some of the most wolf-like humans I've ever heard of. And you fit right in, being so much like Brogan."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Even though I'm a Wick?" Kate asked softly as she looked at Kell. "I still can't quite wrap my head about that."

 

[KieranSoares]

"It doesn't matter whose blood flows through your veins. It matters who you choose to be, whose footsteps you follow in until you find your own path... I mean, take Mary... our father was a monster, but there's a man that she calls uncle who she follows after, learning all she can from how gentle and generous he is. And me... well, it took until you got ahold of me to change my path, but I don't intend to be the man my real father was. I'd rather be like anyone else, even Brogan."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You're a good man, Kell. I would hate to see you think that you are anything but a good and honest man." She murmured softly, squeezing his hands tightly in her own.

 

[KieranSoares]

"If I am, that only came about recently," Kell couldn't help a slight chuckle at her. She was so set on seeing and proving the good that he was so certain he didn't have. How could he, after being the man he was?

Kell remained at his sister's side constantly, though he made it clear to Kate that he didn't expect her to stay if she didn't want to. The next morning when Kate awoke to her father's gentle touch, she heard Brogan whisper. "Kate, love. Th'little girl's awake."

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate hadn't slept much while she was at Kell's side. It was only in the wee hours in the morning that Brogan had insisted that she get some sleep and she had made herself a pallet on the floor. She sighed as Brogan's hand gently touched her cheek and she turned to look up at her father.

"She woke up?" Kate asked softly, a little bit confused.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Well... I'm no' sure if she's really lucid, but she's awake alrigh'. An' she wants t'meet you. Kell told her about you."

Just beyond, she could see Kell right where she'd left him at little Mary's side, and she could barely hear him speaking to her as he held her close to keep her warm.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate was quick out of her bed, hurrying to Kell's side as he held his sister so close. She was quiet, letting the siblings share their moment together after so long apart.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kell looked up with a soft smile, one unlike Kate had seen of him thus far. "Mary, this is Kate, the one who helped me."

The little girl's beautiful blue eyes, flecked with gold, were clouded with sleep and dull pain, but they were still innocent and gentle. "Hi," she said rather hoarsely.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Hi." Kate said softly, giving her a smile that showed her relief. "I'm very happy that you woke up, Mary."

She looked over at Kell and she saw something deep in his gaze that she had never seen before. It was love, respect, and relief. Very gently, she reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze as her attention turned back to Mary.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Thank you for helping Kell... I didn't want him to have to hurt people to help me. And it's nice to know we have a good king now because of you." Despite being so young, the girl spoke like a much older child and she had an old soul that was reflected in her calm and even gaze and tone. "It's even better that Kell has a friend he can trust. I was worried about him."

"You're the worst worrier I know. You worry too much for your own good and you grow up too fast," Kell muttered before kissing her forehead. She shakingly wrapped her arms around his broad neck and he helped her to sit up so she could reach out to Kate. Weak as could be, she pulled Kate closer to hug her as tightly as she could muster; which was little more than a tiny squeeze.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate gasped as she was pulled into a hug. She enjoyed both of these people and it meant a lot to her that they were both healing and would lead a normal life in Inverness.

 

[KieranSoares]

Mary slept on and off through the day and Kell managed to get some sleep himself whenever she did, but late that night was when the poor little girl began coughing. It sounded painful and debilitating and she couldn't get any more sleep that she desperately needed, and Kell was doing everything he could to ease her pain. He wouldn't listen when the healers told him that little Mary was suffering from pneumonia, because Kell knew it could kill her easily. He wasn't ready to let go of her now that his hopes had been restored.

 

[heartofcourage]

After dinner with her father, Cahal, and Abel, Kate had found her way back to Kell's side. She gently touched his shoulder as she looked down at Mary, sleeping but still struggling.

"Kell, go and get something to eat." She said softly. "I'll sit here with Mary. If anything changes, I'll get you right away."

 

[KieranSoares]

Kell didn't argue, knowing she wouldn't let him, but it still took several minutes to convince himself to go, and Brogan was waiting for him at the door, knowing he likely wouldn't want to be alone. While he was gone, little Mary still coughed every so often, but thankfully it didn't wake her. As light and fitful a sleep as it was, it was still sleep. Kell wasn't gone too long, but just before he returned, Mary's breathing began to become very labored and ragged. He stepped in, hearing the awful sound begin, and his ears folded back against his head. Slowly, he took his seat by his tiny sister and took her hand once more as he'd held it since the moment he'd sat at her side to begin with.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate watched the anguish in Kell's gaze as he came back for Mary's worst moments. She knew that she very well might die that night and she hoped for Kell's sake that Mary wouldn't simply slip away.

 

[KieranSoares]

Kell stayed up late into the night, and when the girl awoke in a coughing fit, he crawled into the bed with her and held her as he helped her to drink water from a glass she couldn't even hold on her own.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate paced back and forth in her father's room, giving Kell time with his sister. She paused in her pacing to look at her father with a long sigh.

"Da, I feel like my insides are all jumbled up in knots." She murmured as she came to his side and finally sat down.