Of the Fells

[KieranSoares]

"I just want t'know 'im better an' show 'im tha' I'm not going t'hurt his little girl. I promise I'm not rushin' ahead. Trust me when I say th'last thing I want t'do is rush... I'm still a little raw from my own troubles in Wick, I don' think I'd be ready fer anythin' like tha' fer some time, much as I do love bein' at yer side." He felt he owed it to her and himself to be absolutely honest that he was still hurting badly after all he'd suffered before he and Julia and Brogan had saved one another in Wick.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Then we'll go at our own pace. No pressure to do anything." Valentina said as she gave him the rare smile that she reserved only for him. "We can go to France together and then to the Fells. We can travel and then come back to Inverness to get back to work."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Sounds like a plan," Theo smiled as he took her hand in both his own.

The next day was a fairly long one for everyone involved, as were the two after it until they arrived in Inverness around noon the fourth day to see a vast camp of werefolk and about a quarter of the town damaged. When they entered from the west road, they were met by werewolf warriors who'd taken it upon themselves to guard the entry road just in case.

"Hondur," one called, raising a hand to halt the carriage. "Kosovo."

The merchant didn't speak Lunar, but Theo stepped down from his horse and came to shake the wolf's hand. "Kosovo, mo'ell. A se Theo, gheruda et lu Ghis cla'anna. Eis et Valentina Ambrose en Emma Ghis en i muorota eta adlunek amuus."

The wolf smiled, nodding as he looked to Valentina and recognized her as she looked so much like Kitty, and saw Emma with her baby. "Ah, kosam." The two wolves stepped out of their way and Theo climbed back into his saddle and they went on. Theo certainly hadn't mentioned he could speak Lunar before, but it stood to reason that he could seeing as he'd been trading with some Lunars in Aberdeen during their stay.

They came to the keep and it was a fairly torn-up but healing Ashien who greeted them with a beautiful woman at his side. "Val," Ashien said almost breathlessly, happy as could be to see her home and unscathed.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Ashien." Valentina said as she hugged her older brother gently. "I see you managed to keep yourself alive."

"Barely." The English woman standing next to him said with a soft smile. "I'm Dylandra. Ashien's wife."

Valentina greeted the woman warmly, chuckling softly as she looked at him with a look just like their mother. "Has Ma met her yet? Because you know what happened the last time..."

 

[KieranSoares]

"She has, and she loved her after she got done yelling at me again," Ashien nodded. "But there's someone waiting for you inside, little sister. He's worried to death about you, and the tribal healers just got him to sit down and rest seeing as he's still healing. Everyone will be gathering for lunch soon, so you can make sure all of us aren't too close to dropping dead as per usual, hm?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'll do my best to make sure that everyone stays hale and hearty." Valentina said, giving her brother a kiss on the cheek before she slipped into the keep to find the man that she had been waiting to see since she left him behind.

The moment that she saw her father, she couldn't help rushing towards him and wrapping him tightly in her arms. "Oh, Papa. Mi sei mancato."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Mi sei mancato troppo, cara mia..." Vincenzo whispered as he held her tightly as his tired and sore arms would let him. He was doing well, but he was certainly not completely healed yet and he'd exhausted himself taking care of his daughter-in-law and her Captain. "I was afraid I wouldn't make it home to see you again," he admitted quietly. "And I was scared you might've gotten caught... I didn't know for sure that you were alright until Julia saved us..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I've been safe and worried about you." Valentina promised him, holding so tightly. "Theo has been taking very good care of me."

 

[KieranSoares]

Vincenzo chuckled and looked to Theo. "I knew I could trust him..." He kept Valentina close with one around her, extending the other hand to Theo. "Thank you, my friend."

"She's taken care o' me just as much," Theo nodded as he shook the older man's hand.

"Come sit down with me, both of you. I need a rest and lunch is coming out soon." He brought them over to one of the upper tables in the great hall and sat down. The seat at his opposite side would be Kitty's when she came in. Soon, Valentina saw her battered but cleaned-up siblings and their families file in. Durban looked the worst of the bunch, limping alongside his wife to his seat. Ashien was faring a little better, Dylandra at his side. Boar came with his children and Emma, and finally Kitty and Selena entered. Valentina heard some mention of Selena's mysterious love being gone to Wick as Julia's general. But Kayla didn't come out, not that anyone expected her to, and her Captain, Christopher Callaghan, stayed with her rather than coming to join the Ghis. Everyone looked worse for wear, but at least they were alive.

 

[heartofcourage]

Val took in the sight of all her family members coming into the great hall, worse for ware, but alive. Boar still looked absolutely terrified of his little girl, but she was cradled safely in his arms as Emma tended to their sons. Durban needed Marri's help to sit, but she was there to care for him. That was what Valentina had been missing all along...that other part that would care for her when times were tough.

"I'll tend to all of them when lunch is over with and then check in on the soldiers that might need help." Valentina said, still holding her father's hand tightly in her own. "That way you can rest with Ma."

 

[KieranSoares]

Vincenzo didn't bother to argue. He knew she'd win and he was too tired anyway. "Alright, love... But don't hesitate to come find me if you need help." He leaned back in his chair after giving a tired but glad smile to his wife, and soon the food was brought out. It was a quiet meal. No one had much to say, and many were too tired and sore to think about much more than getting on with the day until they could sleep. Many would go back to sleep immediately after they were done, such as the wounded Ghis brothers.

 

[heartofcourage]

Valentina ate next to her parents, noting how quiet it was in the dining hall that afternoon. It was to be expected, she supposed. When the meal was finished, she saw her father to his room, making sure that he was down to rest before she went to tend to her brothers. She would work tirelessly if it meant that her family could take a much needed rest.

 

[KieranSoares]

The first brother she came to was Durban, who was having a horrible time just moving around. Thanks to Marri's support and young Gabriel and Elise looking after their little brother in her stead, he'd made it back to his and Marri's room in the keep where they'd stay until the minor damage to their home outside town was repaired. When Valentina entered, Durban was sitting in bed with his back against the wall, an arm laid protectively across his stomach to shield a painful wound from any further abuse. His head was leaned back and his eyes were closed until Valentina entered. She'd never seen him look so tired and weak, not even in her vague memory of his loss versus Tamblin when she was a child of only six. This war would definitely leave him with more scars than Tamblin could ever have hoped to give him.

At first glance the worst of his war wounds were a few broken fingers and a broken left wrist, a broken collar bone and dislocated shoulder, and the awful stab wound in his stomach that made it hard to eat much. Along with the many other cuts and bruises, it was all thankfully survivable.

"Hiya, Val..." Durban murmured hoarsely, swallowing hard when his bruised throat acted up, likely from being caught in a chokehold at some point or worse.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You look like hell, Durban." Valentina murmured softly as she placed her bag of herbs at her side and sat on the bed next to him. "Would you like something for the pain? I'm sure that Marri would breathe a little easier knowing that you got a good night's sleep."

Val had learned a long time ago to not press anything on her brothers. It was their choice whether they took her medicines and pushing them to do it only made them incredibly stubborn.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Y'know, fer once... I think I'll take ya up on tha' offer... 'aven't 'ad a good rest since this bloody war began... more thanks t'the nightmares than anythin' else..." He only mentioned them because he knew Valentina would understand. The cannons and the carnage they caused had left a permanent, brutal scar on all of the Ghis children who'd been on the battlefields, especially Ashien and Durban, who'd each been wounded by defective cannons exploding quite near to them. The one that had gone off near Ashien had almost killed him when he tried to protect a younger warrior.

 

[heartofcourage]

Val nodded as she turned to her bag and mixed together the herbs that would help Durban sleep. "I can't help with the nightmares. For that, I would suggest talking to Marri if you feel like it is getting too much for you to bare. Perhaps Papa could help you with that as well."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm no' gonna put tha' on Marri's mind..." Durban murmured. He wouldn't have wished it even on a mortal enemy. "An' I wouldn't 'ave Vincenzo bringin' up those memories fer 'imself." He signed and tried to relax a bit, but it was tough when he feared sleep.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Then that only leaves me." Valentina said as she looked at her brother with a serious gaze. "You're going to talk to someone, whether you like it or not. All of you are. I'm not going to let your bullheaded stubbornness get in the way of your healing. This isn't something that is going to go away on it's own."

She stopped mixing and turned to face him fully. "You have three little children who deserve a Da who is happy and involved. Your father was a haunted man who lashed out and I will not let any of my brothers go down the same path."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I will never be Tamblin Ghis," Durban suddenly growled, riled just by the idea that anyone might think he'd be like his father in his fear. "I'm no' a bloody coward 'r a murderer like tha' bastard, an' even if I ever lost control, I'd still 'ave th' heart t'keep away from my family t'spare 'em." His entire body was complete tense as if he could physically defend his claim of being nothing like his old man.

 

[heartofcourage]

Valentina said nothing more as she poured hot water into the bowl of herbs and handed it to Durban. Tamblin had been a man haunted by what he couldn't talk about and unsee. She refused to let her brothers become the same. They might not have seen things the same way, but it most definitely worried her.

 

[KieranSoares]

Durban didn't drink the mix for a while, not until he'd calmed himself down and knew Valentina was right to worry. He didn't admit it out loud, of course, but she did receive a glance of submission to her wisdom before he finally drifted off to sleep. He'd talk later when he had his thoughts in order.

 

[heartofcourage]

Val stayed with him until he was asleep, exiting the room to find Gabriel, Elise, and Seamus trying to play quietly. She smiled at each and kissed their cheeks, knowing that Gabriel would be too old soon for such affection from his aunt.

"Hello, my loves." She said as she crouched down next to them.

"Aunt Val. Do you have any candy?" Elise asked in her impossibly sweet voice.

"Not on me at the moment and I have to go see your Uncle Boar and Ashien right now. Why don't you all go to the kitchens and see Theo? I'm sure he probably has something." She said as Gabriel dutifully guided his siblings away and towards the kitchens, little Seamus stringing his words together to form his thoughts.

 

[KieranSoares]

When Valentina arrived at Boar's side, he was certainly more awake and less exhausted thanks to his time in Aberdeen, but he was still having the worst time with his knees having been so horribly destroyed. He was sitting in his room watching over the sleeping twin boys and the little bundled-up girl in his arms. Emma was fast asleep in their bed. Boar was humming quietly to his daughter, a song that Kitty had sung to all of her children when they were small.

 

[heartofcourage]

Valentina smiled at her brother, no need to talk as she placed her bag on the floor and sat down to take a look at his knees. They seemed to be healing well, but they would cause him a great deal of pain for a while. She made a poultice of herbs and applied that to his skin, letting the natural qualities of the herbs dull the aching. She then wrapped them tightly to provide him stability when he walked.

"She's a true beauty, Boar." She said softly, glancing up at her brother as he cradled his daughter so carefully. "You are a lucky man."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Tha' I am," Boar half-whispered in return, knowing that his normally-booming voice would disturb the girl. He then looked to Valentina, "So... I'm guessin' my knees ain' ever gonna be th'same." He'd known for a while that he'd suffered permanent damage.