And So We Learn

[Lord Eamonn of Eohmark]

And So We Learn
UNDERSTAND I AM NOT SAD THERE IS AN URGENCY OF EXPRESSION..

LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

[/b][/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] He spat out bitterly, hazel eyes sparking green. ``After all that he has done...stolen your son..tried to kill me...my WIFE and CHILD..and Adam has not the courage to end his life? The CRIMES he committed and is still left to breath air?! Fools. The pair of you. That is NOT mercy. I warned you, Bess...I warned you he would do harm if he was released from that damned cell you freed him from...LOOK what he did!`` He whispered harshly, glaring at Bess hard. If he could choke or smack his sister, he would have right now. ``Yet Adam has not the heart to end him because he is his father. Damn that. I will do it. Give me Maubrey and I will make short work of him. His presence outlawed or not, is a THREAT to Skye and ANYONE else he loathes. Damned fools the pair of you are...he is only TROUBLE alive...and I will NOT let you and Adam gives him another chance to harm MY family again. Only the gods above know HOW much I want to strangle you and Adam right now...Give me my son.`` He said coldly, staring hard at his sister.[/color][/ul]

DUCHESS BEATHAG ABERDEEN OF SKYE

[/b] SHE did nothing! SHE had no say in this nor made a decision that changed the course of lives! Before she even had a chance to yeah or nay the accusations her hurled so cruelly out at her the tirade came as it hadn't in months. Their fights had been vicious, each taking hits at the other like bulls trapped in a pen but now it was only his charge with her pinned in shock against the ground. Look what she had done? Fools? No strength? These things no matter where they came from were arrows he shot with accuracy that began to pierce every place in her heart but it wasn't until he threatened her and asked for his son back that her eyes truly began to tear. She gave the boy to his mother, instead, for she had no want to even reach for him. ``Aislin, your son.`` The voice coming out of her throat was that stuck, mired tone heard after she'd nearly died. With so little to say...how do you even begin to respond? ``We beh before the children..Eamonn. How could you?`` She whispered. Small or no, the babies had been in her arms, Aislin too was there as he cut her bare. No care that she had said only what she, herself, had heard. ``How could you...I know only wot ah've told ye, n' tha' is the truth. Ah did nothin', n' ye would lay be bare with no care for anyone but yourself. We've come sae far...tae far for this, or sae Ah thought. Ne'er in mah lifetime, would ah dae tha' tae ye before yer children.. Call me wot ye will Eamonn. Call Ahdam tha', tae. Ah'd think ye'd learn tae have more care of a man ye yerself have fought n' bled beside. He thinks highly o' ye, yet ye only turn your harshest words at him. Your criticsm. Your blame. Dae ye e'er seek to ask, but once, wot he endures, wot he thinks? Have ye e'er sought to truly help him make a choice? He fought with the man n' he got away. He struggled with him.`` Her voice didn't raise.She didn't shout. She didn't scream. Maybe that was the part that was the most strange, the hardest to deal with was that she layed on the ground and bled under the weight of his harshness, only standing to show him what he'd done. ``When will you listen? Ah had thought...you were. How good,....how..tender ye were when Ah carried Davina inside me. Ah'd thought perhaps we's peak of things when all was done. Ye would tell me wot I didn't know o' our father. Ye would tell me o' ye. Ah thought ye did not tell me these things, for Ah was still tae distant tae share them. Our children as they are now..ye hold mine. Yet it is sae rare I touch yours.`` The strangulation he wanted? He found it, without having to lay a hand on her throat. As it was closing up her eyes, angry but more devastated glared at him as if he had broken some place in her that should never be touched. ``He's hurt me tae, n' if ye must be frank fer far many years. Ah dun hold tha' o'er yer head, n' yet e'ery piece o' thing tha' comes forth...it ismy doin? Maybe now I see.`` Aimlee too was there, not far off from the children. Not having heard the argument she was given Davina to hold before she went back to Eamonn. ``How many more months will ye spend away from yer family in persuit o' him Eamonn? How many more years? Instead will ye nay stand with people as they rebuild their homes, their lives sae torn apart nay just by him, but by war, Eamonn. This war was vicious n' ugly n' cruel n' it was more than Maubrey. It was the foolishness o' a King, of Kings..of many. N' we rose against it and for what ye endured Ah'd only thank ye n' hold ye n' praise. By God Eamonn, you are so cruel. You cut people down. You will nay listen tae them n' when they stand in shock ye continue until there is nothin' left. Wot dae ye think there is left of me in this for ye tae take?`` Did he stop to think on this for one moment, that in his anger there was more to it, or ever was? ``Ye will nay ask questions, ye will nay...ask who we are but ye are quick tae tear us apart. Well, If tha' is yer wish. Ah grant it. Ah'm a fool, and I take all his crimes untae m'self. He killed m'mother..`` She whispered ``Adam's mother, he took everythin' tha' ever mattered away..Ah'll give ye tha'..but we're strong enough tae come back sae why would ye take tha' in throw it aside when ye get sae close. Ah dun understand. There's sae much Ah want tae tell ye....about yer nephew tha' lives..n' m'brother tha' yer works..helped tae find. Ah know about the maps, the passages n' Kendrew may have gone down but he would nay have persuaded if nay at yer command. But..there's just nothin' left is there?`` She shook her head softly and moved to stand outside. After all of that..her voice had gotten no louder and in fact her throat closed completely. Opening the door, she let the children play as she went outside, to look at the water...and will her mind far, far away from here because by God that was worse than anything that could have hit Turas Lan. That was worse than seeing it burn.[/color][/ul]

LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

[/b] She said softly before she watched as the nurse took Davina and she headed away with her, leaving the two to speak. She was tired of their fighting, tired of them not getting along. It confused Aislin and after her and Eamonn's talk. Nothing seemed to change. How was she suppose to open up, when she saw them fighting all the time? She moved closer to where Sorcha and Aodhan were still playing, encouraging it so they were both distracted. She could not be Eamonn's rock right now..both were going to a place Aislin had no right to be. [/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] Eamonn growled out, and grabbed Bess' arm again to pull her close to him. ``When will you listen, Bess? WHEN? You want me to listen to you; perhaps you should listen to me for a damn change. I told you to STAY in the castle. I heard you left...I heard you went sailing. I don't give a damn about the reasons. THIS is why you have ambassadors. THIS is why you have a court. To DO things you do not need to be doing. It severs my heart every time I hear about you running off. HOW can I protect you? HOW can I make sure that your son has a mother to hug at night?! I stand in shock EVERY SINGLE NIGHT I am away from my family...or I hear they go off where I cannot protect them. You continue to do this, Bess. Time and TIME again. How much more agony will you put me through? How much more WORRY will you force upon me by leaving without so much as WORD to me?! I have to hear about it through strangers, on the streets, that my sister, who I love more and more each day, is gone? Bess, you are a cruel woman. You dare to lecture me on military matters...about what a war means. Don't. DON'T. Do not put the reason for our division on my head alone Bess...I'VE HAD ENOUGH!`` He shouted, finally, releasing her arm. ``When you finally start to listen and not BREAK those promises you made me...about not sailing for a while...about staying here...about LISTENING when I advise you..Then I will listen to what you have to say. Because of Maubrey's existence, I must worry that he will come back and attack my family again, and that INCLUDES your family. I WANT PEACE BESS...Maubrey alive and still a potential threat will never give me peace...and if you DO or DID think that him as an outlaw crippled him...you know NOTHING of war and such minds. You NEVER...EVER underestimate your enemies. What he did deserves death...and I must now see that he GETS that to protect EVERYONE on this damn isle.`` His own eyes were glossing over with unfallen tears, one or two even managed to fall to gravity's will, but Eamonn ignored it while he spoke. Eamonn turned his head away and a hand rubbed his face. His words pierced her heart just as her actions pierced his.[/color][/ul]

DUCHESS BEATHAG ABERDEEN OF SKYE

[/i] He loved her more and more each day but look at how he treated what he loved! If Adam laid but one hand on her this way would he hit the Mo'r Triath himself, no matter the reason? I am sorry! STOP IT EAMONN! I am telling you nothing of war or battle....I am trying to have care of you! What..what do you mean? There were no siblings save they with eyes that could move with the flood of words as theirs could. She shook her hand until he let it go. Balling them into fists she pounded them against the wall until the redness broke to blood on her knuckles opening the palms, they became scraped raw but endured no further markings. How she wanted to hit him but she didn't! How it burned in her eyes but she wouldn't touch him that way no matter what he'd did to her. Any other would have been thrown in jail. Any other man given treason! One could speak freely before her and Adam, but Eamonn did more than speak. He bellowed. He screamed. He even went so far as to threaten, to enact violence. Was she then truly so terrible! She opened her hands to him, open palmed, wide as if to hold something akin to the world...then they beseeched...Why..accept me. I will accept you, Eamonn. I did not sail for six months.... Then her voice cricked ``Didn't...leave..six..months. Husband.`` She pointed of to the ship after she said that to indicate she'd gone with him ``Thought....you. Knew. Ah'm..nay..kn...knowin'... ``I do not know everything. Her eyes said as she shut them and sighed. This was humiliating. ``Hate..him. Not fool!`` She pointed at herself and shook head..then at him, and shook her head...``yer..nay either.`` She hit her hand on the wall again and even heard the crack of a knuckle, but it mattered so little. She had half her feeling gone in that hand. No, she hadn't told him. Nor really any. She looked at it, and went to him. She gently touched his hand after that. Even hell hounds and banshees lay down their arms. From inside of her vest she pulled out a chain, where on it was a charm impressed with a knotwork horse on one side, a griffin on the other. It was done so on a shape of a spear tip combined with an axe. The metal? He'd know it. It was her axe. No more apparently. Pieces now. ``Ah.`` She was in tears to see him in tears. She could say nothing! Every day of this blasted war the grit in her voice got thicker and thicker until moments like this happened, at least she'd been alone! Now in front of him? She couldn't say defense or love. Anger or sorrow. Only rubbing at the bruises given to her arms and the blood stains on her hands, she sat on the edge of the stairs.[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] He hissed, shaking his head. Stepping in front of her again, Eamonn crouched down in front of her, ignoring the burn still fresh on his thigh. Eamonn took her wrists and stared at her. ``Because of your foolish action...I cannot rest easy. Maubrey WILL NOT go away. He WILL come back..and I do not want to hear that my sister and my brother-in-law is DEAD because he let an 'outlaw' live without being pursued.`` He said, before looking down at her hands and sighing. Nostrils flared as he inhaled. ``Go get your hands tended. I will say no more...I have said enough.`` He added, flatly, releasing her wrists and moving around her to step inside. He needed a drink...a bottle.[/color][/ul]

DUCHESS BEATHAG ABERDEEN OF SKYE

[/b]she put her hand to herself and let that signify 'me, wife' and struggled over the word, ``har--per. He..s..said..he needed meh.`` The cracking, shattered thing she spoke with was not the boisterous tones of life or even the deeper resonance at which she sang. When he took her wrists she winced, but didn't pull the raw hands away. Instead she looked repentant for what she had done, and in many cases what she hadn't done. ``Not. ..Ahdam.`` Was the last thing she would say. He would not stand to hear her attempt to warble out the rest. If he was mad at him, would she have him speak to her? he did not like his thoughts outed unless he did so. Did he not see that as much as he thought her a fool he wedged her between the two of them without meaning to and at times having to know that it did? He told her to go get her hands tended he left, but she remained on those stairs as the fog rolled in, and indeed as Scotland proved that it was spring by releasing a rain. Let the Gods wash her hands. It did a fine job to hide the tears on her face as well. Was there no defense from what she'd done, did she condemn him to hunt the man down for years now? What was Adam's will in this all and her place to enact or deny it? Had she set him free..did she plant some seed in Adam's head when at the beginning she warned him against striving to high and enacting so hard a vengeance that it tore apart all they loved? WAS it really her fault? The rain did a fine job of masking her tears as it was, for one entity was similar to the other the only difference was the stuff in her eyes was made with a hint of salt. She lay her head against the side of the building, listening to the wood of the docks groan. The boats shift in a high breeze. Boats were to Beathag what horses were to Eamonn, and the other task to be good at they had between them she'd broken apart to have something better. Aimlee had been good enough to pass Davina on to Aislin to return the favor as Beathag had held the children, helping mind Sorcha and Aodhan while they played, unaware the adults were troubled. But when only one adult came back, Aodhan was too sharp not to notice. ``Eh now?`` He looked over at his Uncle before going over, and asking. ``Did Mumma, stay outside? Sometimes she does tha'. Papa says it's getting' your head clear or standn' still because things spin. Are you alright, Uncle Eamonn? Ya look funny, like how Mama or Papa look after talkin tae some folks behind a shut door.``[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] Eamonn said, before pausing and looking down to his nephew. So Bess and Adam had fights, what married couple did not? Eamonn had fights with Aislin from time to time, but hopefully things were clearing up. It was a hard thing for a man to be asked to open up emotionally to anyone, Eamonn always held it in, and it was hard to expect military sensibility from people who were not in the military. Sorcha ran back over to Aislin and her brother since Aodhan left her. Eamonn took a deep breath and turned around. The tall Marshal crouched down, lowering himself in front of his nephew so he was more on the boy's level. Eamonn placed a hand on Aodhan's shoulder. ``War and violence becomes a great burden on everyone, sister-son. I will be all right, Aodhan, as will your mother. But...there are things she must learn that are in the best interest of her protection...as we all have things we must learn. Go outside and comfort your mother...I think she needs your love to take away the loneliness.`` Eamonn said, keeping his tone as composed as possible. There was much left inside and much he could not say to Aodhan. He was too young to understand fully.[/color][/ul]

DUCHESS BEATHAG ABERDEEN OF SKYE

[/b] He furrowed his brow. This would interrupt his game of Dragons with Sorcha, but already with her mother she'd lost interest. Already the boy was showing signs of being a very dutiful son, and using his intelligence to make sense of a very complicated era around him. One day, this boy would follow in the footsteps set about by those he cared about. He nodded. ``But why won't you give it to her, Uncle Eamonn? It's rainin' outside. If i get the sniffs n' get Davina sick Mumma may be cross. Did tha' when I played in the mud in Edinburgh.`` Bashful,sheepish. It was hard to admit that, but he really liked the mud! And boy, was it jolly good fun to have rolled about with the boys there. They didn't care he looked a little different so long as he was good with his wooden sword! It was quite a litle tale he told Eamonn...but he was quite hesitant about going out of doors. ``Fiddle. Ye know grown folk are funny. E'eryone says we ought not do things but they do them! Then they tell me tha' I dun understand, but I dae know if it's rainin ye should have ye cloak on like Aida used to say n' if it's rainin' like the Gods are cryin' ye shouldn't go out at all!`` So he was quite at odds with it. Did he go out or no? Uncle Eamonn told him to, Mumma didn't want him getting soaked and making extra work for her or Aimlee. In fact, he even got his own cloak off the pegs and put it on. One thing however was certain - the children had gone with her. In fact they were never far from where she was. ``Momma stood quiet for a long time in Edin....Edinburgh. Poppa did tae. He'd say some wot about grandfather n' she didn't like that o'er much.`` He began to pull back the door.[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] Eamonn said flatly, harsher than what he truly meant, but right now he was battling his own patience and emotions from hearing that troubling news Maubrey was still loose.[/color][/ul]

DUCHESS BEATHAG ABERDEEN OF SKYE

[/b]
She shook her head no, putting a finger to his lips for they were clean now. Skinned and scarred, but clean. ``Tis..fine.``
``Mama, your throat 'urts aye?``
He rubbed at it. ``Uncle Eamonn said come inside, say aye, come inside.`` Quite the matter of fact! She gave a nod, standing to her full height of six feet with an additional inch to crest over, letting the small boy take her hand and guide her back. She looked to her side at Eamonn. The cloak was very kind of him to bring, though irony in the fact that she was already sodden! "Ye can't do tha' in the rain, Mama! Then Papa will get cross, in Uncle Eamonn, if ye catch cold!" Leave it to Aodhan to put a smile any face he met.[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] And that was all he would say on that matter.[/color][/ul]

DUCHESS BEATHAG ABERDEEN OF SKYE

[/b]
``Aye.``
``The fire will dry ye!``
``Aye.`` Now admittedly she grinned the whole while.
Aodhan was a famed stater of the blatantly obvious. Still, wet as she was he went over to Grufford's wife and pulled the blanket over for her lap. Kissing his forehead and giving it a pat, he was rather pleased with himself before going over to see what Aislin was up to.[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] Eamonn said simply, and pulling her with him, he moved up the stairs and toward a room with a fireplace. Eamonn ushered her inside and moved in behind her. He closed the door, the bottle was placed aside, and Eamonn picked up the blanket out of the chair. ``Take your wet clothes off and wrap the blanket around you.`` He instructed, handing the blanket to her and turning his back to give her privacy. He stood there, tensely, his lips pressed together to form a thin line, but he held back his raging temper. Picking up the bottle, Eamonn opened it and took a drink.[/color][/ul]

DUCHESS BEATHAG ABERDEEN OF SKYE

[/i] ``Did nay know, 'bout 'im. Only..later.`` but I would never discuss such terrible things in long details with children. ``Did nay want tae..say sae, harsh..infront o' the children.`` At least the amount of words she spoke was improved. The tone? If he were a man with exceptional hearing he'd hear it. ``Truly..did nay know. But, did nay want..tae upset the children, but wan..ted tae answer the questions. Ah dun..want.`` Aodhan was right. It did hurt. But let it be that way, aye? Everyone had scars, she wasn't the only one. ``He..scares me. Ah. hate. him. Adam strug...struggles nay.tae be 'im.`` There is a fine line, brother, between William and Adam. It is a line so fine that while he has liberated so many, does he now not hold what his father wanted to gain? Sanctioned, by godheads and crowned ones? ``Dun want him, tae live. But. Want us, city, n' skye tae live..n'..live. on.`` She tried. God she was trying so hard. She had a pair of hands that burned an an arm that ached. ``He. will. die. But the 'eart..will die sooner, if we live as we ..'ave.`` She tossed up her hands. The volume was fading, and she sounded horrible. Eamonn didn't want to listen to her this way. She doubted he really wanted to listen to her at all. Her hand was pressed against the wall in a moment where she'd forgotten about the palms..causing her to withdraw it and just sigh. She went quiet again. Painstakingly so. There were no attempts even as a knock on the door was heard and a maid had the clothes for Beathag.[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] Eamonn snapped back harshly, staring at her for a moment before taking another swallow of whiskey. Adam be like Maubrey? Eamonn frowned and turned to Bess now, fully. ``Adam never can and will be like that bastard. Adam does not slaughter his kin. Adam does not treat his men like swine. There is a VAST difference between the two.`` Eamonn said bluntly, before turning his head to hear the knock on the door. Eamonn moved toward the door and opened it partly only to take the clothes and thank the maid. Closing the door behind him, Eamonn walked over to Bess. Dumping the clothes in her lap, Eamonn dragged the chair--with her still in it--toward the fire so she could warm up faster. The chair scraped along the floor until Eamonn released the chair and moved across the room again. ``I will go out myself and try to find Maubrey. When I find him, I WILL kill him and that will be that.`` Eamonn said, turning his back so she could put on the dry clothes.[/color][/ul]

DUCHESS BEATHAG ABERDEEN OF SKYE

[/b] Crick, crick and then the settlng place. Somewhere between low and half- passable she found a medium that if she had to force, so be it . ``We quiet. we are wrong. We speak. we.are wrong. We act. we. are. wrong. Ah accept. ye. as. ye are. Am Ah wrong?`` She rolled up her sleeves and just pointed at that bruise. How was she to explain that to Adam? How long would she protect him when these arguments became this way? It gave him no right to treat her like chattel he could drag and toss at his leisure. She walked away from the fire, her face was flushed, temper rising to make heat that'd surely reach the drip drops on her hair. ``Ah. love..you. Ah admire you. Ah see ye fight n' find ..reason..tae dae sae in another way. This is my world now. This court n' things...ah dun expect ye tae..understand. it. all. Ah may ne'er understand. you all. Will ye not. accept tha'? Ah must dae things ye will nay like. Ye will nay believe for, but ye fight with me dae .ye.nay? Ye are tryin' Eamonn.`` She even softened as she looked at him. ``N..we..treasure tha'. Ye wll ne'er be able to follow me e'erywhere, e'en if there is nay batle field ye will see me on. The. halls.. are me. The sword..is you. But tha' is nay all. of. you.`` Turning her face away again she went on. ``Ah, did nay want. tae talk, harshly n'..graphic on the war before the children. Aodhan's kidnapping Ah e'en. tried tae.keep. simple. But in halls m'words will carry as your sword will carry out. We, work, taegether. Wot makes ye think he is only yours tae end? Ye are nay the only one. Nor are ye the. on.ly." She breathed in and went on "Tae carry it out. Ah'm tryin'..nae, tae live, alone nor..leave..ye tae dae..tha' either. If m'husband calls for me, should, I nay answer? I was honored n' twas right fer me, tae gath.er. the last. words..o'. the dyin. n'. bring them back, to ease.but.one heart of men tha' followed him, long the years. Men who lived here..Ah went, n' the people found honor, in us. We, are Scotland. now. Ye may ne'er leave Skye again, but because o' ye at the side o' Adam...Scotland. all of it. is free. Men draw..from your story. Nay just ours. Ah know tha' such things may nay, mean much to you. But as ye told me once this is my place. Ah'm. s-..`` She coughed hard on that,and in her frustration drew a hard hand down on the mantle, drawing the redness out even further on them. ``Ah'm sorra. Ah won't make . ye. pr...pro. ..ah..can't. keep. only hope one day, ye'll understand.`` She did not want to be in this room, it showed in her body. Tense, like she was being shut in. As the rain fell it would be a lie to say she did not love sea because even the sound of the rain seemed to give her some ease to stay. When a little more time had passed she reflected to a moment in time that hurt the most. ``Ah. can take, yer words. But. Am ah, sae. terrible, ye dun wish.. me hold.. yer children?`` Only then would the tears flow, crying locked up her throat again so what came out after might not be as clear. It took time and effort to weather such inflictions. ``Aodhan. loves ye..n'..Davina..is..right..in yer. ar..arms.`` There in lay the core of it. Let them fight! It was nothing new, and she prayed one day they would resolve it. Some people were prone to disagree more than others but...Aodhan loved him so! Davina, too, and she would never deny him the right to hold them, to love them and be in her life. Was she someone he wanted to keep away from her children? Had she done so much wrong that he wanted her to not influence them in any way, nor Adam? The thought on that made her tremble with a wave of angst, but to her credit, the tears had no sound, just the rise and fall of her body.[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] He said, his husky voice deep as he choked back emotions. Not here...not now. Finally, his eyes became so blurred by tears that he could no longer see. His eyes closed, and the tears that welled fell down his cheeks. Eamonn closed his eyes tightly as listened more and more to his sister. ``I am the ONLY one who seems to have no quarrel killing him. Too many times you and Adam stayed my blade from cutting him down..I WOULD HAVE ENDED ALL OUR SUFFERING!`` He shouted, his lower lip trembling as he spoke; face twisted in pain, anger, and fear. Nostrils to a keen nose flared, inhaling a deep breath of air to somehow sooth his aching heart. ``If your husband calls...will you not call your BROTHER? I cannot stop you from going...but your husband has made foolish decisions...he is human, we all have done such. That does not make what all he says true and just.`` Eamonn hissed. Aislin even admitted to be unable to agree with his decisions; such was why they fought time to time as well. ``We...are NOT Scotland.`` Eamonn said bitterly, gripping the bottle at his side tightly. ``WE are SKYE. I do not FIGHT for Scotland. I fight for SKYE and the love of my family and the people here.`` Too many times did he have nightmares of his wife sailing off and never returning...too many times did he have nightmares of his sister sailing away and laying dead on some beach. It frightened him, but he held it to himself. ``Forgive me...for I let my temper take hold. I meant not to bruise you so, nor hurt you. I do wish you to hold my children...what I said was wrong of me to, and for that..I am sorry.`` He admitted softly, before swallowing hard and trying to shove down that lump. ``Do not speak to me as if I know NOTHING of the politics to wars and battles...I do..I have seen a great many leaders use their armies like pawns upon a chessboard. Men like Maubrey will not cease to infect until he is DEAD. I know why I fight. Perhaps you should start to think more of Skye right now instead of foreign lands. You take care of your home foundations before you expand outward. Once your capital is secure..you venture out to expansion. Skye is not strong enough to do BOTH yet. Look what happened when you tried. Turas Lan was nearly burned to the ground. You want this place to be a beacon...tend to it first and others will come, and not fear something like this...again. I know you have good intentions, my sister, but you are mortal and have other needs to tend to FIRST....I have mine...`` And his voice faded. He took a deep and strangled breath before his free hand rose and wiped at his face roughly. ``It hurts me most when what I say goes unheeded. Time...and time again. Perhaps I shall say no more and let my Duchess do as she wills, instead of taking a personal interest in the safety of my sister and her family.`` He choked out, and lifting the bottle to take a few deep swallows of that amber liquid.[/color][/ul][/blockquote][/font]

[Lord Eamonn of Eohmark]

DUCHESS BEATHAG ABERDEEN OF SKYE

[/b] She clenched the muscles in her abdominal for the chance to open the gates and let the North Wind blow through ``Than ye..must see he is a beast! LOOK AT TURAS LAN! Look at any man who has nay survived 'im, it is nay the work o one man Eamonn, and for the better part o' two years, have I told Ahdam this when I learned the man even lived! Now you! Protect me if ye will but Ah have the same right tae keep ye from gaein' forth n' losin yer life! How long dae ye think Ah have laid awake while Ahdam has done the same damned thing...o'er and o'er Eamonn! If one man may make 2000 men do this...what will the hands o' one man dae? Ye can not always gae forth and kill, and kill! Ye can nay always press on and on and kill! THA' is wot will make them win, tha' is wot will kill ye! When ye are tired, n' defenseless........he strikes unsuspectin! N' watches the light leave yer eyes! AH HATE HIM! Ah wanted the heads of him n' his men their bodies sent back tae King EDWARD. Ah did nay decree the hand on their life, ADAM DID! Be it tae bring order back n' lead the hunt in quiet...ah..dun.fookin',know....but there are the livin' tae tend, n' things tae keep whole. Ah'm mortal? Aye...ah.am. SAE are YOU. M'mother was mortal.........Eamonn...she was mortal. By God her loyalty ran true n' look wot it cost 'er. If Ah had learned nothin' dae ye nay think Ah would have sailed the bitter ends o' this world tae find him....tae feel his life...gae out..Dun ye think Ah would 'ave held him down while ye cut off his head? We are nay the past and yet we are sae bitterly haunted by it! We must learn from it, yet we can't change it, yet we dun turn it around. AH DUN WANT YE TAE BE A CORPSE HE MADE. Sae help me, ah dun want tae see ye die in battle but ah know tha' could be. But nay on a man hunt. Nay on a thing tha' will turn ye bitter, n' vicious, n' ugly n' dark. This is wot Adam hides from ye! But mention his name and his eyes darken and in the want tae kill him Ah see a man who looks no different than the one who would kill us.`` The pitch was terrible, but the wind did blow. The scars in her throat could not hold that back forever, and even then she tried to see a greater reason. ``Ye are nay fool. Ah know ye see politics n' understand them but like Ah do nay know wot it is tae fully be within your place how know ye wot it is tae truly know the extent o' mine if ye dun nay ask? Ye may see it well enough but stand in Blue Castle for hours. If ye did such things n' stood with me for e'ery petition, e'ery small judgement tae the highers of realms beyond us...it is nay tha' simple. Adam has everythin' his father vied for, if only fer tha' he is a good man. He is still a man, mistakes are made. He is nay without error. Ah ne'er said he was not. But nay matter the reason....it has still come tae pass. Just like ye tell me tae nay, dun nay think Ah dun understand. We have been fortifyin nay just in embassary but in the core. Were it nay for the engineer and weapon's masters fortifications...nor for the strength of those who remained. Ye needn't tell me to look Eamonn. Tha' is where we flaw. Why tell we each other tae dae sae when a blind man could see it?`` Did he really need tell her to look? In earnest she slept wracked with such a terrible guilt only compounded by the pleas of immigrants she'd heard.. It was enough to make one venture killing themselves. ``Ahdam is the M'or Triath...he is the Lord o' everything. Titles make simple the truth n' though he does not want it,he has all but taken it. Ahdam is the King of Scotland. He is about tae e'en become Lord of England. Wales. e'ery island with these waters..they are his. He shares them with their people n' keeps good tae his word n' is loved but it is..what it is. N'ah will ne'er say it before the people but yes, Ah'm terrified. Ah dun want tha' man alive anymore than ye tae see this pass. They will give him a true coronation! N'......ye are..a prince among us, Eamonn. We spiral sae fast beyond the brink. The beacon burns n' sae must others. Ah have nay choice in tha'. But in one thing Ah did, n' should have bid ye farewell when Ah left fer Edinburgh bu..ah can nay bare yer face at mention o' the water.`` She put her back against the wall, coughing hard. ``Ah'm sorra. Ah did nay think ye'd wish tae see it or e'en hear it from me. Ah feel..terrible. Fer takin' e'en the smallest pleasure from havin' seen the sails open, and feel the water. Ah ..know you have fears. A great many but it is fer nay woman to lay a man bare.`` She ran a hand through the loose strands of her hair. The left hand had knuckles that were bruising as well. ``Ye dae deserve..tae..k..know when Ah gae, where I gae, n' from me nay other. Yer sorrow hurts me n' yer anger..it does frighten me. There is nay one else tha' has the power ye dae..here. If Ahdam had done this..what we both would 'ave done.`` Eamonn would have layed the man out to die, regent or not. ``Ah do nay wish tae push ye away. But ye can nay pull 'pon me tae keep ye closer like this. Ah can't be hurt. Ah would ne'er tell people o' this nor wot was done. But then wot dae Ah say? Ah can quell Ahdam's rage 'n' soothe m'sons nightmares. Ah can sit with m'sister n' e'en wot we dun understand we speak on well. Yet Ah dun know how tae quell ye, save ye from vice, nor truly please ye. Eamonn. Ah dun want ye tae die by his hand. Ah dun want Ahdam, either, tae hunt he becomes a ghost tae his children. Dun think it 'as nay happened from time to time. We are nay always as we appear. M'people, m'family suffers n' ah dae want it to end. But nothin' is as easy as it is said tae be.`` The strange thing was the arguments were the only way to unburden themselves, to speak only on things as they tried to pick up pieces. ``The people are 'earty, n' Adam is determined. He may nay always be right, nay one e'er is. But is it sae terrible tha' fer all his ideas, there are those tha' believe him? Ah want peace tae Eamonn. N' for us, fer yer family..fer e'eryone n'..fer m'home. Ah want tae sit with my husband, tae play fer him n' record his legacy n' duty n' love him in life. Ah want tae give him more children....how dae Ah tha', if he, like ye, is gone? You have done sae much tae keep him alive. Ah do nay want your place to be meaningless. It is nay but if Ah've done a wrong tae make it sae, Ah'm sorra. Ah try..to remain still. Tae take duties tha' will neither displease ye or m'husband nor bring shame tae our house. Ah dun nay care wot others think but greatly pon yer thoughts. Greatly upon his. If Ah lost him now, there would ne'er be another. If ah lost ye, m'world would fall asunder. Ah already can nay stand with Caldean fer fear someone will kill him. E'en if it was said, it is still nay widely known. He.. has joined the men on guard.. he haunts lesser steps. Ah dun want tae see ye doubt me...wot if he does tae. The boy , our nephew hardly speaks. The world's gone tae hell n' it is our duty to keep it aloft. We had done sae much, but it mattered nay. They said they stopped them in the isthmus. Perhaps Ah am a fool.`` Cycling through the different paths of logic she looked at her hands and sighed. Now that was foolish. Now that she could talk she still felt no better. ``Ah dae nay one any good. Ah'm sorra ah'm sae worthless, sae foolish n' sae terrible. Ah wonder if Ahdam e'er feels the same fer all the love he has o'me. And e'en if he did, n' Ah stopped his hand, would there nay have been some truth in its deservin'. Ah will only do my duty as best as ah can n'..maybe it is I who should say nothin'. perhaps I should lose m'voice all together.`` She looked to the right hand.[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] Eamonn shouted, straightening proudly. To die with honour...that was what they taught him as a boy. Duty before yourself...that was the motto that every man lived and fought by. Even as Bess went all, all he could do was think about Maubery's death and how he would smile at his corpse. Eamonn would kill him before he harmed another soul. Eamonn could hear the strain and coughs in his sister's voice, and he knew it would only be a matter of time before she lost her voice to it. Finally, Eamonn turned around, seeing her pressing against the wall. Trying his best to wipe the expression from his face, though his blood-shot eyes were evidence how much Bess moved him, he moved to the chair and turned it to face her. ``Sit down, Bess. Rest yourself before you lose your voice.`` He said, eyes staring at the fire for a moment. He swallowed hard. Eamonn wished he did not fight with his sister, he wished all could be well among them. His hands gripped the back of the chair so hard that his knuckles were white. ``You are not worthless, Bess. Now sit down. I will get you some water for your throat. If you were truly so worthless, I would not be fighting so damn hard to keep you safe. If you were worthless I would not spend my time here trying to beat some sense in your head. You think with your heart, Bess, a bit too much. You expect the good in people to prevail, that people will unite under you and leave Maubrey to the dogs. They won't unless he is dead, and with his death will being his mauraders and supporters, but they will be weaker without their banner. It is how wars work, Bess. England does not care about Maubrey unless he lives and continues to support them. I cannot stand a court of old men bickering and deciding the fate of a nation. That is not politics. They do not care about the soldiers that fight. I leave Adam to make his decision on what he wants to call his kingdom, but he better be able to defend them all. Scotland. Wales. England. Skye. CAN he protect all those nations at once? I am not the Duke nor am I the Lord of anything other than Eohmark, and I am HAPPY with that. Adam needs to find what he is HAPPY with and take it. If he is the Lord of all these lands, then he has the RIGHT to DECIDE what to do with them. That I cannot make for him, but I still fight for him and you. I fight to make sure we live freely. I pray that he does not make foolish decisions that will make me die needlessly. I call his decision to simply outlaw Maubrey a damn foolish choice. One that will come and bite is all in the future. Men like Maubrey don't becoming hermits unless they are dead. I will never know politics as you do. I leave my trust in you, my LIFE is in your hands. I will fight for you because I love you. Because I will die before I saw anyone harm you. I cannot follow you in a ship, Bess...my heart will not stand for such a thing and that is my weight to bear. It is the same one I bear when I watch my wife leave on a ship, afraid that she will share the fate of my mother and I could not be there to stop it. But at least I know where she goes. I see and know the men she takes with her. You people here have a GREAT liberty to do as you please. Women here have luxury of choice. But I come from a place vastly different than this, Bess. Women did not say when they so deemed. Women did not make decisions without a male to speak it for her. The home is where a woman should be, but that is my past. That has changed since I met and married my wife. But I still worry on her travels and I pray every damn day that she will not leave again. I pray you do not leave again. We men fight wars and battles and come home to our wives. That is how it will always be. WE go so YOU DO NOT. Sit and I will get you water or tea.`` He concluded, prying his own hands from the chair and looking away to hide the surfacing emotions on his face.[/color][/ul]

DUCHESS BEATHAG ABERDEEN OF SKYE

[/b] Such as her having left this port quite some time ago, with ship intact, and making a cottage. Being a merchant, and letting the sea rock her babies to sleep at night. ``But. M'head is nay stuffed with fluff. Our lives n' thoughts are each vera different Eamonn, n' sae be Adam's. Ye may have no love for politics but ye should see, one day, nay all the men are old. Some are young, some are sent from their kinsmen n' estates n' as far off as the other hebride islands. Some now come further. But each one has a voice tae put forward, n' it is with a quorum of voices a mind is made up n' along with deep thought. Ah only believe there is any good left because o' wot is around us now n' tha' was proven. You will die with honor..but tae die in honor and gae on hunts for vengeance are two different things. Were it m'wish, neither you nor Ahdam would hunt him but someone with a lesser bias sae tha' his hatred would run no risk of clouding him. We all fall prone tae tha'. There is nay a day tha' has passed tha' sometimes ah do nay wish when Ah saw him for m'self, Ah did nay take out a knife n' throw it intae his skull. There was a promise ah made though, n' deeper it gaes...tha' you would not find me in such places nor ways. At MacRauri Castle..ah was sae furious. Ah could 've forgotten anythin, n' tha' ah was mendin from birth...n' split heads. But instead Ah tok the axe, broke open the door sae as nay tae be another one's prize, n' shattered it there after. There is nothing easy about wot we dae, n' you are right. We should learn tae take wot we have n' be happy. But as more is put 'pon you, what then do you do? There was no matter of heart in the liberatin' of others. Tha' was strategic, n' for it there are now fewer places for tha' man tae venture to. Look at me Eamonn.`` She coughed a bit and went to him, turning his head up to see her eyes. It took a great time for them to even look at each other. Usually it was days afterward, but time was precious and it was time to be thinking they had days or years to fix this when each thing should be cherished like it was the last. ``Ah can't sit. Take m'weight off m'ankle it'll gae numb. We worry fer one another. N' we always will, m'heart?`` She gently tapped his chest. ``Is here, n' ye. N' our family. Ah can tell ye where ah will gae. Ye may learn, e'en if begrudging, wot place a woman 'er any of us have. We can dae a hundred things but we must dae them taegether, Eamonn. Ye know Ah dun want ye tae gae n' dae this. Ye know, I believe yer place is with yer family n' people tae, as they look to others tha' may have suffered. Little brother.`` She let the back of her bruised, beat up knuckles graze his face ``E'en your storm rages and has a calm in it. But we can not rage like this n' think tha' because we know the others angers and how we calm it will be all the better. There is tae much at stake fer me tae e'er lose you. Ah can nay stop ye n' the end anymore than ye may stop me but we may make each other think, Brother. I am callin' on ye now. M'Marshal see tha' the Duke rages nay against wot he may ne'er change n' keep ye both alive. Do not gae out alone. If we trust, we must believe. He needs ye. Tell him these things from the calm of your mind, nay the storm itself or what ye will say, what we may all say, will be lost. I bid you Marshall look in on tha' people tha' decide your fate and know them, as I dae, but let me find those tha' would be betrayer n' twist your trust n' Ah will pull him from you works for yours is long since o'er done. As your sister?`` She kissed his cheek. Her voice was starting to waver, but she still spoke. ``Let me love you, n' accept wot ye are, n' help ye as ye try to make sense of many things. Talk to me, let us nay do this anymore. Ah'm stubborn n' mad tae ye, ah know. Accept me as ah be. Know tha' if a hand is stayed it is not done so out of only tha' though for your sister n' brother in law are not the fools nor uncarin, but if we make mistakes let us hear ye. Eamonn..Ah did nay leave Turas Lan because Ah could nay leave m'people, n' the same way ye would kill him was the same way I would nay give him the pleasure of seein' mah home shattered o' peace. Then try I tae leave n' it too late. Perhaps we should listen sooner, would it 'ave mattered? Yer intentions are good. Yer heart, though ye may think it nay, is in a good place. But our children grown older. Forbid, forbid Aodhan n' Sorcha e'er see this. We place Aislin n' Adam in the center o' us e'en if we do nay wish tae.`` She put her hand to the back of the chair but did not sit, only doing so at last when the object that would numb threatened not to do so anymore.[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] Eamonn commented stiffly, keeping his eyes and face away from her until she turned his face and forced him to look at her. Eamonn stiffened, instantly, and green eyes were looking down to his sister. He listened, silently, and some of her words did manage to seep into his mind. Aislin had told him to open up more, but it was a hard thing to do when you had been trained and conditioned to put others before your thoughts. But they did worry for each other. Still, Bess would not sit down, and Eamonn narrowed his eyes somewhat. She brushed his cheek, kissed his cheek even, but still Eamonn was like a living statue, standing there tall and unmoving. Eamonn had not the heart to ask his men to leave their families to hunt down Maubrey, so he wouldn't. ``I accept you, already, Bess, and I tolerate some of what you do. But I cannot tolerate you leaving without word to me. Don't do it again. I cannot sleep easy and well knowing the very man that tried to destroy my family and killed many of my men is still out there. Until he is pronounced dead and I see his lifeless face, I will never be eased in that area. You hear of the mistake it is to keep Maubrey alive. I told you to sit down...you cannot even do that.`` He said stiffly, staring at his sister. ``You cannot LISTEN to me until my anger comes out. But very well. Because I love you as my sister and my Duchess, I will abide by your words. But I swear that should I ever see Maubrey, I will kill him. That is a decision you both had and gave up.`` He said, stepping back and lifting the bottle to his lips to bring the volume of liquid down to half. ``Deal with Maubrey, or I will. This is the LAST time I leave his wretched hide in your hands. I have every right to see to his death for he nearly took mine. He came after my family, stole my nephew. He is no kin to me. He is but a body for the wilderness to feed from.`` Eamonn frowned, and headed for the door.[/color][/ul]

DUCHESS BEATHAG ABERDEEN OF SKYE

[/b] she said calmly, ``Ah make nay such decisions. What I will admit tae was given leave fer the Admiral tae fetch ships enough tae bring the families and people of Ireland fleeing here as a boon fer those Irish tha' fought for us. In tha' same instance, we learned o' the atrocity there. I know you are angry, n' have right. This is not m'place.`` She stayed in her sit as he was stiff, and she tried, so very hard, to move a mountain but no matter how much the wind blew, stone never yields. ``Ah'm glad you will abide by my words.`` She did not watch him leave because the point in it felt little. She did not want water, she did not want food. Nor did she want anything, save perhaps to have willed it all never to happen. To admit to your short comings was easy for neither of them, and it was evident she had done enough. She was Maubrey's reason of life, apparently and nothing else. He shook her, grabbed at her, many a time and she tried to come to him for the one time she had left him, it had mared him. So again and again the cycle goes. Again and again. She did not have the luxury to drink as hard, for she wished her child to have good, rich milk that was not tainted from her.[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

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[Lord Eamonn of Eohmark]

LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

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LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

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LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

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LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] He whispered, nostrils flaring as he inhaled her scent and a breath of air into his lungs.[/color][/ul]

LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

[/b] Aislin made it sound so simple.[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] Eamonn whispered, rubbing her side and back absentmindedly.[/color][/ul]

LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

[/b] Aislin sighed, unsure if what she was saying made sense. ``It be time.. to simply act like me, Eamonn. Ah thought ye telling her how ye feel would help, but nothing be changing. It be time, for ye to simply give a nod and let her go where she wants, do what she wants. Ah do nay like saying that...because she could make a mistake and get ye killed. If ye be tired, do nay fight anymore.``[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] Eamonn admitted, lowering his head to rest on Aislin's shoulder.[/color][/ul]

LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

[/b] Aislin did not wish to pay the debt of anyone else's mistakes either. It was why she was a loner so much of her life. ``Then...let the cost come. Perhaps then...people will change. For nothing else, is doing such. So leave it to become a cost. If ah die, so be it. If ye die, so be it. The same with Bess and Adam. Leave us all to our fates and stop trying to prevent. It is useless.`` Aislin was a bit distant as she said it, but that was how you had to be at times. ``Then ye will let mistakes of others, bother ye. Ah can nay say any words to stop ye from feeling those things, nor would ah give ye false hope. Maybe then, when someone truly dies, will people change. Maybe nay.`` She turned her head to kiss Eamonn's softly. ``Start looking away, to those things* which ye can nay control. Ah told ye once before...leave Bess and Adam to be the duke and duchess. When blood forms on their hands..they will be the only ones to suffer.``[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] He whispered, a hand lifting to brush back strands of her hair and tuck it behind her hear. His face became utterly serious and he stared at her. ``I will not leave you to pay for another's mistake. You are my responsibility...but I do not want to lose you to someone's foolishness...I have nearly lost you too many times to simply let fate do as it will.`` He said strongly, frowning for a moment as both hands cupped her cheeks again. ``You did tell me...and I will listen...to you..my wife.``[/color][/ul]

LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

[/b] Finger tips rose to brush along his face, feeling the hairs of his beard and his lips. ``Ye...are going to have to become like me to survive yer sister and brother-in-law Eamonn. Ye can care, and ye can show the emotions of caring, but ye must simply nod when they have an idea, give yer opinion when they ask and say nothing when they do nay be taking yer opinion. In reality, that be all they want from us. They want to rule.. and want a pat on the back for coming up with the idea on their own. If they truly wanted help, they would take the advice given. Ah learned a lot dealing in politics. No one wants to be told they did wrong. No one wants to feel like their idea and method be wrong. Grit yer teeth and let them be wrong alone. Smile and bow at them, when they did good.``[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] He said, his hands rubbing the sides of her face for a moment before palms slid down her arms and then to her sides. ``I will try, my wife...to do as you say...as you advise...`` Their previous talk meant a lot, and Eamonn listened to her.[/color][/ul]

LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

[/b] Palms slide down her face and to her arms, making her lean forward to press her lips against his own gently. ``Ah love ye, Husband. Ah want ye happy, but when such actions and things make ye bitter and angry..ah can nay do that.``[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] He admitted, staring into her eyes. ``I want to go home, Aislin...get away from this city for a time and be with my family...I know you have...duties here, but come home with me for a time...please..``[/color][/ul]

LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

[/b] She pressed more of her body into his own frame. She had patience with him, because part of her was empty in it all. ``Ah will go home with ye. Ah want to go home for a time. I want...to see ye smile and laugh. Ah miss seeing ye train horses and coming inside for me to rub salve and ointments on ye bruises from a kick or tumbling off. Ah miss us being in the fields...ah miss our times as commoners. What...be going on with ye and Bess, is starting to affect our marriage.`` Aislin did not wish to put more weight on Eamonn's shoulders, but it was time for the truth, then to move on from it. ``Ah need to tell ye something Eamonn. Ah do nay want ye to be guilty, but ye need to understand how ah be feeling. Ah think Bess be making ye paranoid with what ah be doing. Ye can nay control her when she goes off sailing, but ye can tell me no and ah have to abide by ye wishes because ah love ye and ye are my husband. Ye are...in a way taking out yer aggressions with yer sister..on me, because ah have no choice but to listen to ye, or to ye..that says ah do nay love ye. That...can nay go on Eamonn. It makes me more distant and cold, so ah do nay feel like ah am under yer command. Ah want to be yer wife, nay yer child to tell what ah can and can't do. Bess' actions have made ye afraid. The sea that took away yer Ma...has made ye afraid. Yer father dying at battle and yer friend being killed keeps ye afraid. Do ye nay trust me to do the right thing anymore? Ah stayed...in the great hall as ah was told while others were outside killing those we know. Ah keep trying to prove to ye, that ah be a good and loyal wife..but Bess and others..keep knocking down what ah be trying to achieve and ah can nay stay silent anymore. Please..do nay punish me for what others do anymore..``[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] He said stiffly, though because he was holding back the surge or emotions that were strung in a row brought by her words. His heart skipped a few beats and his stomach started to knock in so many places. Hand stilled their movement on her back.[/color][/ul]

LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

[/b] She pressed her lips to him again, wanting to comfort him and tell him she was not upset or mad. Aislin never really got that way..she still loved him with everything. She was not bitter at him or his actions. She knew all those things he said. ``Ah want ye to remember...ah be no gullible maiden. Ah am nay like Bess and go charging off. Ah am nay like Eirian and Serena, where ah be looking at the world with a twinkle in mah eye. Ah am nay like Danae, where ah be so independent that ah do nay need ye. Ah am...the perfect wife for ye, because in many ways, ah be like ye when it comes to the world.``[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] He asked softly, his thick brows furrowed and his eyes welling with unshed tears. Eamonn swallowed hard and took a deep, unsteady breath.[/color][/ul]

LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

[/b] Finger tips rose to press against his eyes, taking the tears from them and wiping them away.[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] He choked out, his brow furrowed and his hands moving down her sides at last. Pulling her closer to him, Eamonn pressed his sharp nose into the dampness of her hair.[/color][/ul]

LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

[/b] She snuggled in closer to him, holding him just as tight as he held her, if only to say she loved him so dearly. For some time, she held onto him, keeping them close, before pulling back and kissing him with such tenderness, one would never believe she had it within her. She did for Eamonn. Only Eamonn. When they parted, she helped him undress and remove the damp clothing, before letting him get into the tub to wash himself. His clothing was washed in a basin over in the corner of the room and then hung near the fire to dry, though far enough back that it would not catch on fire. Aislin did move over to help him by washing his hair with mints and soaps, also rubbing his scarred back with the cloth to help ease the pressure of the world that he held within his flesh. She left him after a time to finish bathing as she moved to check on the children who lay asleep and dead to the world. Sorcha snored softly, while Kieran breathed deeply. Moving to their bed, Aislin pulled the tunic from her frame to leave it bare and then moved nude across the room to lock their door for the night. Long hair flowed towards her knees and ankles before she moved to sit upon the bed and pushed her legs under the thick covers. Silently she started to brush her hair as best as she could.[/color][/ul]

LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

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LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

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LORD MARSHAL EAMONN OF EOHMARK

[/b] He whispered, pressing his lips to her chin and kissing it lightly.[/color][/ul]

LADY AISLIN CREED OF EOHMARK

[/b] She whispered back as hands went to his back and pressed finger tips into his flesh to gently massage it. Aislin kissed where Eamonn could not. His temples, his cheek, his neck and shoulders. Wrapping her arms tighter around him so the front of her favorite scar on him. The scar where a spear had pinned him to the ground for a long while. Lips pressed to it from the front, while her fingers caressed it around the back.[/color][/ul][/blockquote]

[Exuent.]

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