Ghis (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"I will not turn anyone away simply because they are perceived to be barbarians. I remember that it was not long ago that people considered Stirling and Glasgow to be wild and unwieldy." Kate said, glancing at the lord from Stirling. "If we do not stand united, we stand the chance to crumbling. You might not agree with what I have to say, but you will respect the position that I will hold."

 

[KieranSoares]

To Stirling's credit, he held his tongue despite what he considered a great blow to his pride, being put in his place by a young woman. Discussion continued, and the lords eventually agreed that the county most in need of aid in the next few years was Dumfries, and that a renewance of alliance should be extended to Aberdeen and other clans when Kate ascended to the throne. When the meeting ended, it seemed Kate's first obstacles as Queen would be proud Stirling, vain Perth, and a couple others who were either very proud or very careful. Lanark and Dumfries liked her immediately and the clan royals seemed satisfied with her words. And of course Alfred was on her side.

 

[heartofcourage]

The first person that Kate went to see when she was finished was her father. She had a bright smile on her face as Julia saw her coming, laughing softly as she stood from her seat and offered it to Kate. Kate sat down, eyes only for her father as she told him what had happened behind the closed doors.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan visibly relaxed when Kate came out smiling, and when she told him what happened and how she and Kell had responded, a smile came to his face. As Kell entered to stand by Julia, Brogan hugged Kate tight. "Tha's my girl," he murmured.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You did well, kitten." Julia said with a smile as Brogan held his daughter in a tight hug, beaming like the proud father that he was. "However, you need to remain cautious. You never truly know who your friends are until times get tough."

 

[KieranSoares]

"But when times get tough, ye'll 'ave th'best allies a girl can ask for once those lords see jus' who they're dealin' with." Brogan looked down at Kate with a smile. "An' I'm willin' t'bet ye'll 'ave plenty o' clan kings too."

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia laughed softly as Brogan doted on Kate. "I will leave you two to talk." She murmured, kissing Kate's cheek before she wished them all a good night.

Walking from the great hall, Julia paused when she saw Kayla and Aleister standing outside Kayla's rooms. Little Lynndon was sound asleep in his mother's arms, his sandy head resting against her shoulder as they talked softly to one another. Kayla had a content smile on her lips as Aleister bent and kissed Lynndon so tenderly. Then he kissed Kayla just as tenderly. Something more was whispered between them and soon Kayla was entering her room to put Lynndon to sleep.

"Evening, Aleister." Julia said softly as she approached the hulking man.

 

[KieranSoares]

Aleister turned to see Julia and he bowed his head to her. "Milady," he murmured. She'd seen him much more often since employing Kayla, but had seen him occasionally before when joining his fellow veteran axemen or coming to teach the new younger fighters. Brogan liked to honor his veteran soldiers every year in late summer.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Would you mind walking with me to my room? There is something that I would like to talk to you about." Julia said softly, pleased to see that he wasn't as nervous around her as he had once been.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Of course," he nodded and offered her his arm like a proper gentleman and he escorted her through the halls toward her room. "What can I do for ya, milady?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"Tell me how Kayla is doing. We are all so worried about her since Gale passed. Lynndon is certainly a joy, but is she alright?" Julia had her reasons for asking as they walked towards her rooms.

 

[KieranSoares]

"She still thinks o' Gale all th'time an' she wants Lynn t'know about 'im. But I'd say she's doin' pretty well havin' lost him an' Eli too. She smiles all th'time an' she's not afraid t'love anyone, which was somethin' I know Boar was worried about. An' she's th'finest partner I could ask for."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Business partner or something more?" Julia asked as she heard Aleister refer to Kayla in such a way. "I see the way you watch her. It's much more than a friend who is watching out for someone they care for. You watch her like a man who loves her completely."

 

[KieranSoares]

"A partner... In both senses," he confirmed with a nod. "She's done wonders fer my business, but even more fer my life. We're always t'gether, workin' or lookin' after Lynn. I love tha' lad like he's my own. An' I couldn' imagine anyone I'd rather share my time with than Kayla."

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia nodded and gave him a smile as they came to her room. She motioned for him to follow her into the room and to have a seat while she moved towards her trunk. Once she had found what she was looking for, she came back to him with a small velvet pouch in her hand.

"This is something that Kitty gave me a long time ago. My second Christmas in Inverness, in fact." She passed the pouch to Aleister and soon, a perfect emerald ring was resting in the palm of his hand. "Kayla means the world to all of us. She gave us hope in a dark time. If you are truly, truly serious about loving her completely, then I'm giving you this ring for safe keeping. Give it to her when the moment is right and enjoy your life together, Aleister."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Milady, I can' take this," he murmured, offering her the ring back. "This should be fer one o' your girls. An' I don't think Kay would ever really marry me..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"There are many other rings from their Gran to choose from. This one is meant for Kayla." Julia said as she curled Aleister's fingers around the ring and gave him a smile. "You think that, but I have never seen Kayla love someone the way that she loves you. She is willing to let you be the father of her child. That has to mean something."

 

[KieranSoares]

Aleister looked down at the ring once more and brought it back close to his chest. "Thank you, milady," he said softly. When he left her, Kell came to see her.

"Julia?" He asked from the open doorway. "Do you have a moment?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"Of course, Kell. Come in." Julia said after Aleister was on his way, the emerald ring in his safe keeping for the time being. "What do you need, love?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"I just wanted to talk with you about Kate and the council." Kell gave her a smile. "She really reminded me of you today. Normally she just reminds me of Brogan. But she has this... Tone that she uses, this certain expression and way of addressing a room. Just like you."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Kitten has always been the one that I worried about the most." Julia said softly as Kell told her that Kate had reminded him of her that evening. "The twins will always have each other and Ciaran has always found pleasure in simple things, much like Annie. However Kate...Kate has always had an inner fire that I feared would lead to hardships. That is why I worked so hard on her. I needed her to have an outlet for all of that curiosity."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Well I think it's safe to say you successfully made a potential queen of her, however much she's like Brogan. At the core, she's got your patience and your ability to understand almost anything and anyone. Maybe that's why she and I work so well together."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I need you to protect her heart, Kell." Julia said softly, sadness clouding her eyes as she looked at the wolf that loved her daughter more than anything. "She was born from a horrible event and I am lucky that I have a husband that was willing to raise and love her like his own. However, there are those out there that will try and use her birth father against her."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know there are... We may have met a couple of them today." Kell came to take her hands, sitting beside her. "But I promise you I'll take care of her. I can't stop people from talking, but I can help her stand up to it all. Even if they get to her... I'll be there to catch her. And I'll always protect her. It's what I'm best at and it's what Gale chose me for."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You are a good person, Kell. I know that kitten is always safe with you." Julia said as she squeezed his hands tightly.