Of the Fells

[KieranSoares]

"Maybe. But it's no' everyday my little sister falls 'ead over heels fer someone. Gotta tease fer all it's worth," Brogan insisted and turned back to Annie who had begun asking animated and rapid fire questions about the horses.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I need my own horse, Da!" Annie announced after she had placed a million different questions on her father, her eyes pleading with him. "Please? I can take good care of a horse. Please, Da?"

Valentina stifled a laugh as she watched the giant that was her brother try to stand firm against the little girl that held his heart.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'll tell you what," Brogan spoke to his daughter. "One of Phearson's mares is going to have a foal or a colt before long. If you can learn to ride an' take care o' some o' my horses by yer tenth birthday, I'll give you tha' horse once 'e's trained." It was about a year and a half away, but it was a deal toake sure Annie would still be interested and serious by then.

 

[heartofcourage]

Annie's eyes lit up as he told her that she could have her own horse if she tended to his steeds in the time before her 10th birthday. She nodded her head wildly, her dark hair flying around her face. She turned and hugged him tightly, murmuring her thanks as Valentina watched over them with a smile. Her brother was a good father. It just took a little push from his wife for him to see just how good of a father he really was.

 

[KieranSoares]

Theo took up Raul's reins once more, guiding the horse away to give the father and daughter their own time, and to steal Valentina away a short while before her work called her back. They took a little tour of the town at a lazy pace, Raul occasionally stopping to chew on tall grass.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I think you changed on our trip." Valentina said softly as Raul paused to chew on a clump of sweet grass, her dark gaze turning to find Theo's. "That night in the house, where you took me on the floor, something came over you. You found peace."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Maybe I just needed t'let somethin' out," Theo murmured. "I've always been pretty gentle with everyone an' everythin'. More so since I lost my family. Maybe I jus' needed t'be rough fer a minute, let some energy out."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You can be rough with me any time you need, mi amore." She murmured as she leaned in and kissed him with a gentle passion. "You have no idea how happy I am to have found someone like you who understands me."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Wha's not t'understand?" Theo chuckled. "I'm no' one o' those lads tha' thinks women're nothin' more'n pretty things t'look at." He wrapped his broad arm about her waist once more, letting his head rest on her shoulder as Raul walked lazily past the marketplace.

 

[heartofcourage]

Valentina smiled as he rested his head on her shoulder as Raul walked at a lazy pace past the marketplace. They didn't have a care in the world as they enjoyed the free moment that had been so rare to find lately. The moment was broken as Valentina caught sight of something odd. As the vendors were closing up their shops for the evening, she saw a little boy wandering the square alone. He was barely steady on his feet, just old enough to even know how to walk. Sucking on his thumb, he seemed to be all alone.

Valentina instantly pulled Raul to a stop, freeing herself from Theo's grasp as she slipped from the saddle to approach the little boy. His clothing was well cared for, but patched and old. His tiny face was smudged with dirt and the trails of tears that had long dried. He was achingly handsome with light brown hair and a pair of eyes that told her of the sadness he had already known in his short life.

"Hello there, little one." She murmured as she crouched down in front of him. "Where is your Mama?"

He looked at her with a blank stare as if to say that he didn't know. "Can you tell me your name?"

Again, he looked at her with a blank stare and continued to suck his thumb. Glancing around, she saw a vegetable vendor that she knew personally and called out to him.

"Francis? Do you know this little boy?" She asked.

 

[KieranSoares]

Theo drew Raul to a halt as Valentina spotted the boy and drew near to him. The shopkeeper that Valentina called to looked up. "I think I 'eard someone call 'im Alex." Wandering children in Alex's state were not terribly common in Inverness since Brogan had taken the throne. He'd put a huge effort into such projects as an orphanage and a series of shelters free to the homeless and to wanderers.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Is your name Alex?" Valentina asked as the little boy suddenly looked at her with some level of recognition. "Do you have a Mama, Alex?"

When he didn't respond to the question again, she let out a sigh. He was simply too young to know what she was asking. "Alright, then. How about we get you warm and some food in your belly and then we'll start looking for your Mama."

Valentina carefully picked the toddler up, surprised when he immediately clung to her tightly. She wondered just how long he had been out there wandering around. Glancing towards Theo, she gave him a sad little smile.

"Hand me my cloak. I'll get him something to eat if you would see if you can't find out where his family is." She said softly as she held out her free hand for the wool cloak that was tucked into Raul's saddlebag.

 

[KieranSoares]

Theo drew out the cloak before reining Raul around. "I'll meet you back 'ere," Theo told her and Raul trotted off. Theo stopped to ask vendors and passersby, eventually wandering out of Valentina's sight. With everything shutting down for the night, the only place that would remain open would be the nearby tavern run by its new owner, a Wolf called Gerald who'd taken over and inherited the place from its previous owner.

 

[heartofcourage]

Valentina tried to entertain Alex as she walked to the tavern, her cloak wrapped around the little boy. It was quiet inside the warm building as she stepped inside, glancing around for Gerald. She was relieved to see him still there, behind the bar as he always was.

"Gerald." She called, giving him a warm smile as she settled Alex into a seat next to the fire. "Would you happen to have something for this little boy to eat? Theo is out looking for his mother."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Comin' right up, Miss Val," Gerald called in return, soon arriving at her side with a plate of roast beef and potatoes and bread with tomato soup. "Here, lad," the Wolf offered with a smile. Alex stared blankly for a moment, then shook his head slowly. Gerald knelt down beside him. "It's alright. Go ahead." Then little Alex swiped the bread and slipped away from them and back outside, clearly headed somewhere as fast as his little legs could take him.

 

[heartofcourage]

Valentina watched as Alex refused to eat at first and then snagged the bread and took off. She glanced towards Gerald, her gaze telling him that she would be back as soon as she figured out what the toddler was doing. She was up, her cloak in her hands as she followed after the little boy to see where he was going.

 

[KieranSoares]

The boy headed through a maze of alleys, nearly losing Valentina a few times until she caught him ducking into a dilapidated old house in the oldest portion of the town. Inside under a patchy roof and an equally patchy second floor, Alex crawled up beside a rail-thin, pale woman laying in a nest of ragged blankets. Valentina would recognize the sound of what many doctors called the 'death rattle' of her lungs and throat.

Alex gingerly laid the heel of bread by her hand and she opened glassy eyes to look at him. "Oh, honey..." she whispered. "You didn't steal that, did you...?"

She was young, no older than perhaps Brogan, but her hair was streaked with grey from stress and pain.

 

[heartofcourage]

Valentina was quiet as she watched the woman interact with Alex. She was obviously his mother and she was in danger. It was very clear that the woman was nearing the end of her fight with something horrible, but with some care and a place to live, she might be able to give her some more time with the precious little boy that was cuddled against her.

"Hello?" Valentina finally said, breaking the silence as Alex glanced towards her first and then the woman. "My name is Valentina Ambrose. I found Alex outside in the town square."

She stepped forward, showing the woman that she wouldn't harm her. "I'm a healer. Would you allow me to help you?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"That's very kind of you, dear, but... I'm afraid there's not much anyone can do at this point," she murmured, and it was clear she was fighting to stay awake.

Alex laid his head against her chest, oblivious to what was being said. He knew something was wrong with his mother but he was far too young to understand exactly what.

 

[heartofcourage]

"For this little boy, it's worth a shot." Valentina said as she watched Alex rest his head against her chest.

Stepping back out of the run down home, Valentina let out a sharp and shrill whistle. Soon enough, Raul came plodding along to where she was, a curious looking Theo on his back.

"I found Alex's mother. She is very ill. Help me get them to Gerald's tavern and he will give them a warm place to sleep while I figure out what to do with her." Valentina murmured as she reached into her saddlebags to get some numbing herbs just in case she was in pain.

 

[KieranSoares]

Theo slipped down from the saddle quickly once she told him what was happening, and he pulled off his own cloak as he followed Valentina to the ruined house. Once there, he knelt down beside the woman. "Wha's yer name, love?" He asked softly.

"Anna... Anna Carrigan," she murmured.

"Well, Anna, we're gonna get ya a good room at th'tavern fer th'time bein'." With Valentina's help and his own gentle, steady hands, he wrapped Anna up in his cloak and lifted her up slowly. She let out a soft cry of pain at being moved at all, but Theo assured her softly that she only had to hold on for a few minutes. She weakly wrapped her arms about his neck to steady herself and Theo followed Valentina back to the tavern. Little Alex seemed suddenly distrustful of them, and caught Theo's trouser leg to tug on it as if it would stop him.

 

[heartofcourage]

Valentina supervised as Theo moved the young woman and she watched as Alex seemed to be very nervous at the idea that they were taking his mother. Once they were at the tavern, Valentina took Alex aside as Theo talked to Gerald and the two men got Anna settled.

"Listen, little one. Your Mama is very sick." Valentina said softly as she touched Alex's cheek softly. "We're going to give her some medicine to try and help her get better. I need you to be very brave. I already know you're a good boy."

She didn't know if Alex understood her. "Let's take some of this food to your Mama. I bet it would make her very happy to see you eating a good meal."

She stood and gathered the food that Gerald had left on the table. Taking it to the room that he had given to Anna and Alex, she set up a little area for Alex to eat within view of his mother.

 

[KieranSoares]

Alex would have none of the idea, eating while his mother did not, so he tried to take his food to her. But Gerald stopped him. "Whoa there. It's okay, she's goin' t'get somethin' too. But somethin' a little easier t'eat, alright?" Alex was eventually coaxed into eating, but he only really started into his meal like the starving boy he was once Gerald brought up some heated broth for Anna as she probably wouldn't even be able to take the tomato soup.

Gerald paused beside Valentina once both mother and son were set, and he murmured, "They've got a place 'ere long as they need it, Val."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You're a good man, Gerald." Valentina said as she watched Anna and Alex eating. "I'll make sure that you get some kind of compensation for this. I know you won't take it, but you can't turn down a few extra vegetables and some meat from the keep."

"She'll need a good bath before she can rest tonight. Theo and I can handle that. I will get some fresh clothes for the both of them and some herbal tea to help her sleep. Do you think that you can handle the little boy?" She asked, glancing towards Gerald. "I'll bring Papa to look them both over in the morning."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Yeah, I can keep 'im entertained," Gerald nodded. Theo, meanwhile, was talking softly with Anna about Alex.