Of the Fells

[heartofcourage]

"You're a wonderful father to Alex. The little mite is lucky to have you. You're kind and loving, patient with his little faults." Valentina said with a smile as Theo talked about looking forward to the day that they had a family. "I'm a lucky woman, I think."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Tha' you are," he teased with a grin, pressing a kiss to her lips. "I love ya, darlin'." There were so many things he was looking forward to, especially the day he proved how serious he was with a proper wedding.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I know, mi amore." Valentina said with a smile up at Theo as he pressed that promising kiss to her lips. "Being your wife will be a dream come true. I don't think that moment can come soon enough for me."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I wonder if your parents'll feel the exact opposite, marryin' off their youngest." Though Selena was not technically married, Valentina was the last to find her love and knowing their youngest was grown up completely would be tough for Kitty and Vincenzo.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Perhaps. Papa always wanted more children of his own. It was always just he and Uncle Van growing up and he wanted me to have that same bond with a brother or sister. Instead, I formed that bond with him and Ma. They'll be excited, a little sad, but they both worked so hard to get us all to this moment safely." Valentina told Theo as she thought back on her unusual childhood. "Papa is more than happy with his adopted children though. I think that we all filled a little bit of that void in his heart."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'll be glad t'call 'im my father-in-law. It'll be nice t'have a big family again," Theo murmured, letting his eyes close. A loud, loving family was right up his alley.

 

[heartofcourage]

"And I will be very happy to call you my husband." Valentina said with a smile as she snuggled close to Theo with a content sigh.

 

[KieranSoares]

The long journey home passed much faster with the constant entertainment and work with Alex, helping him to ride properly on his own without getting too worn out. Alex was incredibly gentle and loving to the little horse and Pop seemed perfectly comfortable with him after a couple days.

When they returned home, Alex was quick to hurry inside to get Kitty and Vincenzo after Theo took Pop's lead.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Well, we know who he has been thinking about." Valentina said with a chuckle as Alex raced into the keep to get his grandparents. "I'm happy to see him so excited and focused on something."

 

[KieranSoares]

"An' seein' 'im be a proper little boy without th'weight o' the world on 'is shoulders is all I wanted this 'ole trip," Theo commented, letting Pop's lead go. The little horse wouldn't go anywhere.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Alex might have your head if you let that little horse go." Valentina said with a laugh as Theo dropped Pop's lead rope. "I had hopes that he would love the little steed, but his care is beyond anything that I could have imagined."

 

[KieranSoares]

"He won't go far," Theo assured her. Pop seemed content to walk over to the side of the path and nibble on the grass while Theo pulled his saddlebags off his own horse and then off Valentina's to take them inside. Alex returned before long, dutifully walking beside Kitty at her own speed. She was well, but had had a short weak spell while they were gone. Vincenzo was beside her but didn't seem concerned. He let Valentina know with a glance that Kitty's pale skin wasn't to be worried about and she was on the upswing.

 

[heartofcourage]

Valentina didn't like the pale color of her mother's skin, but she bit her lip to keep from commenting. She knew that her father would be doing his best to keep her healthy but sometimes there was little that they could do.

"Did you find Gran and Papa?" Valentina said with a smile towards Alex. "He's talked of nothing all day except telling Annie about the dragon we met and showing you his new horse. And seeing Anna again, of course."

She grinned as she saw the stuffed fox already under her son's arm, back in her rightful place. No doubt the animal would be hearing all about his adventures that evening.

 

[KieranSoares]

Both Vincenzo and Kitty gave Alex all their attention as he introduced them to Pop and told them how he had been a surprise when they'd landed back in Scotland. Upon mention of the weredragoness, Kitty joined Alex in his excitement, especially when the dragon of Inverness came up. After putting Pop away in his stable, Kitty and Alex went inside while Vincenzo remained to speak with Valentina.

"How did it go, cara mia?" He asked quietly as he helped her unsaddle and brush down Raul.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Better than I expect. Worse in some parts." Valentina answered quietly, looking at her father with a glance that only he might understand. "I lost some. Mostly elderly who simply couldn't hold on. I had to do surgery on a small werefox. That's not anything that I hope to do again."

 

[KieranSoares]

"It's not easy to perform such harsh surgery on someone so young..." Vincenzo drew her in close to kiss her forehead. "But you managed to stop an outbreak from spreading across Ireland. And I couldn't be prouder, cara mia. You'll replace me before long."

When he met her gaze again, he added, "And I'm sorry I didn't come to help you, amore. I was beginning to pack my things when your mother came down with a fever. I couldn't risk leaving her to those who didn't understand her illness."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Theo and Alex helped." Valentina said as her father apologized for not being there. "And Ma should always be the most important thing in your life now. I don't want you to be away from her for long. She needs you as much as you need her."

 

[KieranSoares]

"But you're home now. She was worried for you three, especially Alex on his first trip away." Soon Vincenzo escorted them inside after the horses were put away, and Alex fell asleep on Kitty's lap within minutes of sitting down with her in the parlor.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Learning to ride took a lot out of him." Valentina said with a smile as her Ma held Alex in her lap, letting him sleep against her shoulder. "He did very well, though. He rode straight and tall in the saddle and never once complained."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'm so glad he chose you," Kitty commented softly. "You two fit together perfectly. And there's no one in this world he loves and admires more than you. Learning to ride is part of that, getting to follow his Ma and ride a horse just like her." She smiled to Valentina. "You did the same with Warwick when you were small. You wanted to do important things like him. You had no interest in playing pretend unless it was set in some faraway land.

 

[heartofcourage]

"No one else was ever around to play pretend with." Valentina answered softly with a small shrug as if that explained why she was such a serious child. "And as much as Ashelin wanted to spoil me, Warwick always saw it as his duty to make sure that I was well educated and never treated any different from Ciaran and Cole. I got enough spoiling from Nonna when I went to Italy."

 

[KieranSoares]

Kitty reached out to brush Valentina's hair back lovingly. "I'm just glad to see you finding happiness now. And you've got your whole life ahead of you to explore and steal away to new places. Make sure you don't miss those chances."

 

[heartofcourage]

"I'm happy that you can be happy now, Ma." Valentina said softly as Kitty gently brushed her dark hair from her face. "It does me good to know that you and Papa have each other forever now. I don't have to worry about the next time I will get to see him or if you will be well enough for that meeting."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Sweet lass," she murmured, kissing Valentina's cheek. "Now take your little man and put him to bed, and make sure your other man gets to bed at a decent hour. You too."

 

[heartofcourage]

That evening, after Alex had been tucked into bed with Anna and his blue blanket, Valentina curled up with Theo, simply relaxing in his arms. It had been a peaceful day, one that she so desperately needed after the long ride from Ireland.

"Did you check on the cabin?" She asked him softly, knowing that he had slipped away for a little bit to check on the building of their new home.