Ghis (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"How's Aunt Beth?" Sam asked before he answered her offer.

"Sam's set on makin' sure 'is new cousin's safe an' sound, Max an' Beth included," Brogan chuckled, brushing the boy's hair back fondly despite the grave seriousness of the young man's expression.

 

[heartofcourage]

"She's asleep, love. Your uncle is watching over them both. They need time to be a family for a while before Julian will be introduced." Julia explained, giving Sam a find smile. "You'll understand one day, love. You'll find that person that completes you and makes you see things in a different way. Then you'll stop at nothing to see them safe and when a little one comes along, you'll only want to keep them to yourself for a while."

She remember when the boys were born, she and Brogan had spent two days alone with them before allowing the rest of the family to meet them. It had been a struggle to figure out how to care for two of them, but they had made it work in their own way.

 

[KieranSoares]

"It's fine if they don' come out," Sam said resolutely. "I'm just makin' sure they'll have everything they need." He didn't comment on her words about his own future love and family. Sam didn't think much of such things.

"Your mother's way ahead of you, lad." Brogan kissed Julia's cheek before guiding them both out toward the main hall, to the courtyard, and down to the stables near the courtyard gate.

 

[heartofcourage]

"And what about you, Samuel? Do you have everything you need?" Julia asked, turning the tables on him as they walked towards the stables. "Anything your heart desires?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"If I need anythin', I can take care of it," Sam murmured, ever independent. Brogan chuckled and laid a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"It's no' a question o' whether you can handle it alone, Sam. It's yer Ma lookin' after 'er little lad."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Let me spoil you. What can I get for my favorite serious son?" She asked, giving him a grin as the stable hands fetched their horses.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I don' need anythin', Ma," Sam insisted quietly.

"Then somethin' you want," Brogan encouraged, holding Julia and Sam's horses steady for them while his own charger waited patiently.

Sam finally gave it some thought, glancing at Julia for a long moment. "I... I guess I could use a new cloak... Chessie helped me mend th' old one, but..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"A new cloak it is." Julia said with a chuckle, ruffling Sam's hair. "And maybe a new vest to go with it. Something you can grow into because I dare say that you might be bigger than you father at this rate."

 

[KieranSoares]

"He's always taken after Durban- growin' too big, faster'n he 'as any right to. Looks like th' blood o' th' Ghis from Scandinavia got t'you two."

"Scandinavia?" Sam asked quietly.

"Mhm. S'where I got my middle name from."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You certainly didn't get it from my side, love. Your grandfather barely stood taller than myself and your grandmother was even smaller."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Yer no' tha' small, Ma," Sam observed.

"Some migh' say she's tall fer a lass, but y'have t'remember she lives in th'bloody valley o' the giants, Sam," Brogan reminded him, grinning to Julia. All of his siblings outsized her save Kayla, but the woman had a presence that outweighed her size. Selena was far taller and had a build fit for a warrior. Even Ashien was taller, though he was very lean and athletic.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Pity me, Sam. I'm the lass that had to carry the children of Brogan Ghis. That might not mean anything to you now, but when you find s lass of your own, keep my warning in mind."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'd rather not put anyone else through that," Sam commented, a tiny smile tugging at his lips thinking of how difficult he and his siblings could be to keep up with.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You always were smart as a whip." Julia said with a chuckle. "Now, your brothers I'm not so sure about. Rho is a hopeless student like Kate and Ciaran is too busy being in love."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Well, Ciaran won't be putting anyone through all that, but Rho probably will," Brogan said with a smile. "That is, if he doesn't scare all the girls away with that energy of his first."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You'll help us keep Rho in line, right?" Julia asked as the horses appeared and soon Brogan was helping her up into the saddle.

Even though she had been married to him for twenty years, her husband's raw strength absolutely amazed her. He lifted her from the ground as if she weighed nothing, placing her in the saddle with a boyish grin that made him look so much younger than his years. She chuckled and leaned down to kiss him, showing him just how much she loved him.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Everyone keeps tellin' me to let him make 'is own mistakes, so no promises," Sam reminded her. He could always turn someone's words around on them for good effect.

Brogan laughed deeply at his son's answer, but let Julia field that on her own while he climbed into his own saddle. Sam's form was always nothing short of perfect in a saddle, and he had a command of horses learned from a combination of Annie and Ashien that was nearly unrivaled.

 

[heartofcourage]

"We most definitely should let him make his own mistakes, especially when it comes to learning about things with his missing arm. However, we still have the duty to make sure that he doesn't go completely crazy." Julia said as she took her reigns and allowed the two of her boys to lead the way.

 

[KieranSoares]

"He's steadier than you give him credit for, Ma," Sam insisted.

"Not quite as steady as you, Sam. It seems you can't be swayed at all," Brogan told him with a smile. "You're about the most stubborn young man to come out of this family, even more so than Boar, I'd say."

 

[heartofcourage]

"One day he'll show is all that he has another side to him." Julia commented as Brogan teased their son. "And then you'll be surprised."

 

[KieranSoares]

"We'll see," both answered at the same time, making Sam crack another smile while Brogan just chuckled to himself. While he was still a worrier, Brogan grew more and more unshakably calm as he aged.

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia laughed heartily as Sam showed them shadows of the boy that he used to be. She enjoyed watching him grow, even if she wished that he wouldn't be so serious all of the time. However, she couldn't be happier with the man that he was becoming. All of her children made her proud, even the little girls who had barely begun to live.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan let Sam lead the way, recognizing when the boy started following a forest patrol route. "Sam, yer no' workin'. Yer ridin' fer fun."

"I'm looking for a trail I found the other day," Sam muttered. Eventually he paused and turned onto a path neither of them had seen. "It goes to a spring hidden in the woods."

 

[heartofcourage]

"A spring in the woods?" Julia asked, slightly surprised that there was a place that neither of them had known about. "After all this time, new things are still being discovered."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Justin showed me," Sam murmured. It took some time and they left the trail at a particular tree, but they soon came upon a little clearing that Julia had never seen. It was up against a highland ledge, and under the large overhang was a long pool that seemed to be alive with small fish and was incredibly deep and clear, showing rolling springs at the bottom. The pool was no larger than the keep garden in length, and only as wide as a couple wagons, but it reached at least a hundred feet down.

Sam was particularly interested in the rock wall, however. Ancient pictures were carved into the stone, moss growing in the cracks and chisel marks. It was old Lunar artwork, showing great tribes hunting, farming, and living free alongside early Celts. The images seemed to show the Celts as partners with the Lunars, and following their spiritual leaders. One set of images showed Invah Kyre's meeting with the Lunar people, and a far more recent image carved with more precision showed Invah's final farewell to the Queen whom she'd given her egg to.