Ghis (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"He's a good man. Probably too good for the likes of me most of the time, but I do adore him." Kate said as her father made his observation. "And he never complains about anything, unless I'm in danger."

 

[KieranSoares]

"He has 'is flaws an' points o' conflict like anyone else- no one can be perfect, not even fer the love o' their life. But take care o' him. Ye'll be hard-pressed t'find a man tha' would do absolutely anythin' fer you without abusing th' power of a queen's trust."

 

[heartofcourage]

"How long will it be before you can retire and move here full time?" Kate teased her father, chuckling at the look on his face. "I know your heart is in Inverness. I just hope you come to visit as often as you can."

 

[KieranSoares]

"It'll be a long while before I can move around freely as I like. Probably not til Rho's all settled in 'is own life. But I'll take any excuse I can t'come down this way. After all, got t'keep good relations with my allies." He kissed her forehead before giving her a nudge. "Go to bed, love. Everyone else is turnin' in now too."

Sure enough, the hall was quickly emptying and quieting. Kell was now giving his farewells to those that passed, his visage serene as ever despite the long day and the knowledge of the weeks to come.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate returned her father's kiss before she moved towards Kell, taking her husband's arm as they bid the rest of their guests farewell. She was tired but she stood at his side and did her task without complaint, knowing that she needed to appear to be the gracious queen that she wanted to be. She had learned that from her mother.

 

[KieranSoares]

Aside from their linked arms and standing close together, there was no sign of affection between them. They were already displaying themselves as an absolute team, but part of the point of avoiding public affection was to keep from giving away weaknesses or anything beyond courtly loyalty to one another. But once all of the court guests were gone, Kell's arm wrapped about her waist and he seemed to relax slightly.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate leaned her head into his shoulder as she let out a long sigh. It had been a long and exhausting day, but they had both made it through alive and mostly intact.

 

[KieranSoares]

At that simple gesture, Kell gave some quiet directions to servants and the royal couple were the last two non-staff to leave the ballroom. It was a quiet trek to the royal chambers, where Kell quietly unbound Kate's hair and set aside the few jewels and circlet she wore. The crown had been stored away carefully for display in the royal gallery of historical items and heirlooms, it's home when not in use as per long-standing tradition.

 

[heartofcourage]

Kate patiently watched her husband tend to her as if she were the only thing in his world. When he was done, she pulled him in and she kissed him gently.

"I'm sorry I'm such a grump sometimes." She said softly. "I do appreciate what you do for me."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I wouldn't have married you if your temper when you wake up bothered me," Kell reminded her in a murmur, though he gladly enjoyed her kiss and she saw him begin to relax. His shoulders began to loosen and lower and his perfect posture slackened a bit.

 

[heartofcourage]

"That's why I adore about you, Kell. You don't want me to change for anything in the world, even when I'm doing my level best to aggravate you." Kate said softly as he slowly started to relax.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I didn't realize you were trying." Kell leaned down with a smile to lay his head on her shoulder. "I'll let you know when you finally annoy me."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You're likely to spank me when I least expect it." Kate said as he rested his broad head against her shoulder. "Today went well, I thought. Better than I was expecting, actually. Maybe it's a good sign for the rest of my rule."

 

[KieranSoares]

"At the very least, the people who are going to be fighting us every step of the way were kind enough not to start today. A few of them even seemed to give you a chance to impress them, which I dare say you might've." He then thought about her previous statement. "I don't know about spanking. But maybe bound hands and a blindfold." He smirked at that and drew away to hang up his uniform.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You have some interesting thoughts on our private time, Kell." Kate teased as he mentioned a blindfold and bound hands. "Maybe I'll have to let you do all of that one day just to get it out of your system. That way your thoughts will be clear to come up with strategy and focus on safety."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I think about security constantly. Even when you've got me on my back in bed and you make my mind slip away for a while, there's still the awareness of your safety." Kell put aside his jacket, vest, and shirt til his torso was bare, and changed into short trousers for bed.e

 

[heartofcourage]

"Well, when Qira is at the door and it is just the two of us, I promise that I will work harder to make you forget all about your duties." Kate promised him, stealing a kiss before she turned to finish dressing for bed herself. "I'll make you a deal, Kell. You can plan our first vacation together from Edinburgh. Anything you wish to do where you can feel safe and at ease. I'll look forward to the surprise."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Hmm... That sounds like an interesting proposition. As a queen, you could go anywhere... And I could make any vacation sound like a diplomatic visit to some faraway place." Kell went over to his desk to file away some last papers for the night, only pausing as an envelope was slipped silently under the door. He retrieved it and opened it up, skimming over it before taking a piece of charcoal to mark something and make a note. He resealed it, slipping it back under before it was taken away. The sheer lack of sound of footsteps or a person on the other side told Kate it was Qira passing along a message.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Should I get used to those kinds of things happening more often?” Kate asked as she turned down their bed and slipped beneath the sheets.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Not too often, hopefully. Qira wouldn't have put it through unless it was time-sensitive." Kell lingered at his desk a bit longer before coming to join her. "He normally leaves things for the morning if possible."

 

[heartofcourage]

“I promise that I wouldn’t meddle in your business, Kell. Just as I know you won’t meddle in what goes on between your grandfather and i.” Kate said as she settled on her pillows and turned on her side to look at him. “Wake me early so I can get to work on our apartments before duty calls.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"And what do you get up to with my grandfather?" Kell asked with a raised brow, leaving her request for the moment.

 

[heartofcourage]

“Just things you don’t need to know about.” Kate said with a sweet smile. “If you need to know, he’ll tell you.”

 

[KieranSoares]

"He never tells me anything." Kell sighed and laid back, an arm behind his head. "But I can never keep secrets from him. I'll bet this entire kingdom he knows of every single guard and sentinel I have, and their patrols and assignments."

 

[heartofcourage]

“He writes me fairly often. We have a nice relationship.” She said with a smile as she snuggled up against Kell’s side.