Ghis (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"They're young and in love." Julia said as Brogan entertained their youngest child. "I'm sure they do the same things that we do when we disappear from the world, even if you don't want to think about it."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I don' mind tha' much, really. She an' Kell can do as they like. They waited fer each other as we asked." Brogan smiled to Julia. "Long as they're safe, I don' mind."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Until that first cub comes along and then you'll be extra protective like you are with Annie. She could tell you to teach David a lesson and you would do it in a moment for little Danny." Julia said with a smile towards her husband.

 

[KieranSoares]

"But then they'll have enough distance tha' Kell will 'ave time t'run," Brogan laughed. "They'll be good parents. But I think they agreed they're gonna wait a while."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I think that's best. They need to have a strong foundation." Julia said as Ashelin paused in her drawing to watching what her Da was doing. "And it will be much different raising a child in Edinburgh that it would be raising a child here in Inverness."

 

[KieranSoares]

Having learned a bit from Vincenzo and his journals, Brogan was fairly decent at drawing and he'd made Ashelin a little sketch of Phearson in his full barding and tack. "Won' have any trustworthy cousins 'r siblings t'leave their little one with when they need a break... Have t'keep 'em away from th'court most times considerin' those lords there. Kate's have t'fight it out. Though I'm sure Kayla'll have good advice for 'er."

 

[heartofcourage]

Ashelin did her best to try and copy her father's drawing, the little squiggles looking nothing like a horse but she was trying her hardest. "I suppose when they do have a child, I'll go and spend some time in Edinburgh. She'll need an extra set of hands." Julia said softly.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Knowin' Kate, she'll come here before it's even arrived. But tha's a long way off. They'll let us know their plans." He set his quill down to braid Ashelin's hair as she drew. "Jus' a couple weeks..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I know it'll be hard, love. She's always been your girl. Not having her around will be very different." Julia said softly as he turned his attentions towards Ashelin and her unruly mop of curls. "But I have the feeling that these two little girls will fill that hole beautifully."

 

[KieranSoares]

"They already do in most ways. But no one could replace any o' my children. There'll always be a small place left empty." Brogan leaned down to press a kiss to the top of Ashelin's head.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Kate might be the only child of ours to move away. I don't think Annie is going anywhere. Ciaran has a nice little life with Justin. Rho and Sam are too afraid to get far away from one another and Sam has no want to leave Inverness. Who knows what the future holds for these two little ones." Julia said, kissing Heather's cheek as she snuggled closer in her sleep.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I could see Ashelin goin' off adventurin' at some point. An' considerin' how seriously Sam takes 'is future job, he'll probably travel a lot."

 

[heartofcourage]

"But they will always come back home." Julia said as she relaxed back into her husband's plush chair and closed her eyes, dozing with Heather in front of the fire.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan smiled at the sight, letting Ashelin join them when she grew tired. He went back to his work of sending invitations and writing orders for Kate's coronation. There were some people Kate and Kell and the family had wanted to invite as special guests and Brogan had volunteered to take care of that and their travel arrangements.

 

[heartofcourage]

Julia slumbered with her girls as she had with all of her children since the day that Ciara's had come into her life. It was a way that she relaxed, enjoying those little moments while she had them. It wasn't that long until Heather woke and wiggled out of her mother's arms, toddling to her father's side using her memory of the room around her.

 

[KieranSoares]

Brogan scooped Heather up in one arm. "Hiya, love," he whispered, brushing her dark hair back. "No' very often tha' it's jus' you an' me, huh?"

 

[heartofcourage]

Heather wrapped her arms around her father's broad neck and held him tightly, breathing in his scent with a content sigh. Even though she spent much of her time with her grandmother and mother, she did adore her father as much as Ashelin.

 

[KieranSoares]

Setting aside his work, Brogan just sat back with Heather and held her for a long while. When he was needed elsewhere, he took Heather with him.

By the time the boys returned, so had everyone else save Kate and Kell who were still off tending to their own business among other things. When they finally reappeared, it was about an hour before dinner. They arrived to find a messenger from Edinburgh who'd brought Warwick and Marianne's final plans for their end of the coronation, including a list of all the nobles and outer royalty who would be attending. The list was huge, and that wasn't counting all the soldiers and guards, friends and bodyguards of guests, the serving staff, and the thousands of people who'd be outside the palace to see the parade.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Well, it certainly won't be like our wedding." Kate commented to her husband as she read over the list of dignitaries that were going to attend the coronation. "It seems that everyone wants to come and see just what their new queen is made of."

 

[KieranSoares]

"You have a lot of nay-sayers, love. Some for you being a Ghis, some for you being a woman, some for me being a Wolf, and the list goes on and on. They want their first chance to start needling away at you for their own gains. No doubt they expect you to be like their own daughters and wives they've forced to be seen and not heard all their lives. But you also have a huge amount of support, possibly more than Marianne or Brian or Gale ever had, or any other monarch in Scotland for a long time. They'll be there to show you their loyalty and put down what rumors and nonsense try to spread."

 

[heartofcourage]

"If we know they are like that, why have we invited them?" Kate asked, shaking her head as she placed the list aside and sat back in her chair with a long sigh.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Because they're your vassals and lords. Much as no one likes it, they rely on you for leadership and you're their claim to their titles. And in return, you rely on them for military and economic support. Neither side can exist on its own. But for the most part, they'll never do anything rash against you. They're rich, lazy cowards, most of them. The ones who aren't are either your supporters, or have too little traction to actually bother you without support of their own. It's politics, love."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Seems to me that we could cut a lot of money from this event by simply encouraging them to not come." Kate said with a shrug of her shoulders, her stubborn streak coming through.

 

[KieranSoares]

"You're welcome to try. I'm sure snubbing them all will go over well," Kell chuckled, coming to kneel at her side.

 

[heartofcourage]

"They'll learn sooner or later to not mess with me." Kate said with a grin as she leaned in and kissed her husband. "Or I might find myself with a knife between my ribs. Either way I'll make a point."