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Laird of the Land (buttefly0408/kolath)

Dinner was served and what a dinner it was, the cooks and his aunt and sister knew that Blair was going to be coming down for dinner again finally and went all out. Every kind of roast meat and cheeses galore were spread out on the table by the servers. The wine was a new cask that had just been opened today smelling of fruits and a little bit of a nuttiness to it that was rather pleasant. Everything had been made perfect to welcome her back.
 
Blair did not realize just how big a deal they thought her being allowed to return to the table was or how much they put into it. She was very well liked and many thought Kael's a bit of a brute for this treatment of her, even those that knew of his alternative motives for such things. Sadly for him, most of them sided on the side of the poor, sweet, Blair Ross. She couldn't even help but smile at all the attention. She didn't like being the center of attention before, but now it was rather enjoyable.

"For someone that has been locked up," his sister started, making the conversation really more open to the group as a whole then just between the two of them, "you seem to have fared well from my brute of a brother's treatment. The sign of a warrior. I would have gone batty and jumped out the window on day three!"

Blair smiled from behind her cup of wine, lifted to her lips about to drink, "It might have crossed my mind at one point or another."
 
“Hey! That wasn’t needed.” Kael was referring to his sister comment about him being a brute.

From just a little ways down the table Angus laughed and brushed his objection off. “You know its true just take it like a man.” There was a laugh from the gathered men and a lot of banging on the table.

Kael just sighed and shook his head slowly knowing this was going to be a long dinner with a lot of jokes at his expense.

Flynn couldn’t help but enjoy the situation knowing what Kael must be thinking and just smirking into his wine hiding it from the others.
 
"I simply don't know where he gets it from," his aunt said, smiling, knowing that this line of conversation was getting to him and good for him. He deserved a little bit of embarrassment at his expense. She sighed rather large, "He was such a good little boy. I don't know where on earth we all went wrong with him. To treat a lady as such." Then she smiled, "But... to have the lady make him give in first... THAT I did teach him well on when dealing with not only a lady but a PRETTY lady."

"Actually I think that was something I taught him," came Angus's voice again.

Blair blushed a little, smile on her lips still.
 
Kael sighed holding his head in one hand as he ate just dealing with all that was being said. He threw a roll down the table hitting Angus for his comment and glaring as his friend caught it and ate it.

Flynn had given up hiding it and was just chuckling openly as was most of the table.

There were a few calls for down the table about him giving in. all enjoying his discomfort and making it worse.

He growled, “I taught myself that thank you, and can we please just move on…this was meant to be dinner.”
 
"They you shouldn't have thrown it..." came an amused voice and that one belonged to Blair herself. The smirk on her face told him she was relaxing and it might be at his expense, but it was better then having her stay silent and totally distant. She had even spoken to him. That was a step, wasn't it. "I don't know about you, but I was told not to play with my food." She looked to his aunt, "Don't you think that throwing counts as playing?"

His aunt just had to smile as well, "Why I believe it DOES..." she gave him a stern look and waved a finger at him, "Perhaps I should look you up for a few days to learn your lesson young man."
 
He was in shock that she would even say that and to a round of laughing from Angus, Flynn and the others Kael could only respond. “You wouldn’t dare!?” he looked around at the gathered guests and shook his head. “I’m surrounded by traitors.” His voice nowhere near serious clearly just getting into the spirit of the moment. He didn’t mind one bit that he was the center of all their verbal barbs because Blair was laughing and smiling. In that moment he was sure he had never seen a woman as beautiful then she was, her face alight with pleasure and enjoyment.
 
The air was light and happy for the time as laughter filled the room. Blair had lost herself in it, not having found anything amusing as she did this in a long, long time. The smile still painted her face even when her laughing stopped and she found her attention seeming to be just drawn to Kael as he sat at the head of the table. She realized his attention was on her. He was smiling and she realized it was a real smile. She had seen him only smirk up until now. Like he had some kind of plan on his mind at the moment. This was just a simple smile and she had to admit... he was actually more handsome when he was smiling, if that was even possible. She blushed a little and lowered her eyes to pick at the food on her plate, her owe smile not really faltering any from the moment they had kind of just had looking at one another.
 
He did just smile for a long time watching her till she looked down at her plate. He continued to smile just taking the teasing he was getting before he had a thought and looked over at Blair. “Ok, all the attention is on me it seems, so lets see if I can share some of it. You won’t tell me about yourself Blair, will you at least tell my family?”

His sister who had just been enjoying her brother’s discomfort up till now chimed in. “Yes, yes, please do tell us about yourself Blair. My boarish brother has been making it so I can’t get to know you so now is my chance. Tell me about yourself and your interests?”

Kael couldn’t have asked for better if he had planned it.
 
The center of attention once again, Blair's blush grew but when she would usually try and direct attention from herself away but... it was so nice to have people to talk to again she didn't do it this time. "Well, there isn't really much to say really. With my mother having passed years ago, I did much of the work that the lady of a keep would in her absence. I never had to much time for myself. It was spent learning how to eventually run my husband's house."

His aunt smiled and caught Kael's eye giving him a look that spoke of how she thought that was very promising information about her... and him. Working as a pair.
 
Kael just looked at his aunt for a moment before shaking his head and turning back to Blair as his sister wasn’t looking just for information about her.

His sister wanted more wanted to get to know the girl that had come into their lives, and from what she could see would someday be her sister-in-law. “Sounds like what my mother put me through, training me one day to run this castle for my husband. She didn’t know what she was going to do when I married Driscol. But what do you like to do in those moments when you could just get away and be yourself?”
 
"Be... myself?" she seemed to suddenly grow a little meek. Not many people had ever given her the time or the space to really just be anyone but the daughter of Fergus Ross, future wife to some highland laird to produce him sons and run his house. She shrugged a little, "There wasn't much time for it but sometime in the evenings.... I would just play around with paper and some charcoal. You know... draw things. They were never very good. Not many people have ever seen the things I have done. It was just something to help me calm down at the end of the day before bed."
 
Flynn having just been silent up till now was not going to let that go. “Not very good? Blair are you insane? What about that drawing of the horses running toward you…I would have sworn they could have come off the page they were so real. And what about…”

Flynn was about to let his mouth run and Kael needed to stop it before his sister had a charcoal and paper brought right now to see how good Blair really was. He was sitting just close enough to reach out with his foot and kick Flynn lightly. Not knowing that his aunt had done the same from the other side with her elbow.
 
Blair wondered a moment why Flynn seemed to jump a little and stop suddenly but she was already shaking her head, "Those horses looked more like pigs then anything else," she said with a doubtful smile on her lips, "You only liked them because to are my brother and you have to say things like that or I might have kicked you."

Aunt Evelyn laughed suddenly then stopped herself, laughing over how he had gotten kicked even when he had praised them.
 
The rest of the evening went rather well just the group enjoying Blair’s company and her theirs. Finally the meal was over and it was already late Kael led Blair back up to her room. He walked with her opening the doors for her just continuing to enjoy her company. “I trust you enjoyed being able to be out tonight?” he asked her as he pushed open the door to her room standing on one side of it just leaning against the frame.
 
"I did. Thank you," she told him, trying to seem as distant as she had before, but his allowing her to be among people once again had lightened her mood and it was hard to be cold to him now when she felt so very pleasant. "Will I be allowed to attend more meals with your family?" Her tone held a kind of hope in it she tried to cover at least a little bit.
 
He laughed softly, smiling at her a little. “I don’t think my aunt or sister would let me do anything but let you come to the meals with the family.” He shrugged and without realizing what he was doing brushed a strand of hair from her face. “But I was planning to have you join us for meals anyway, assuming you would like too.”
 
She took a step back into the room, leaving his hand floating where it had just been moving the strand, "Yes.... I would..." she said, not attacking him for the sign of affection but putting the distance between then to prevent it from happening again. "So I shall see you for the morning meal then..."
 
His hand hung there for a moment as he looked at it and here and slowly lowered it wondering what he had been thinking. “Yes, I will see you for morning meal.” He smiled and nodded his head a little before turning and walking toward his room.

A short time passed and he had thought a lot about what she had said at dinner. He went to his personal scribe and got what he needed. He came to her room and once again knocked once before just opening the door and walking in not thinking about the time of night it was. He had gotten a sheaf of paper and some charcoals after all she has said she liked to draw to relax before bed.
 
For once she was not sitting in her usual spot at the window, but standing at the little water basin washing her face. She had already changed into her thin night shift that had been given to her to wear. The fabric was thin enough to see the slightest hint of the outline of her body yet thick enough to leave most to imagination. At the unexpected sound of the door opening, she turned to see him there and went quickly to grab a robe to toss on, "What are you doing here at this hour?"
 
He realized his mistake as soon as he saw her in his shift. He for the first time blushed for a second at his mistake before clearing his throat and slowly walking over to her. he looked into her eyes for a long moment and then held out the paper and the charcoal. “You mentioned you liked to draw to relax at night. I thought you might…want these.” He gently placed them in her hands before turning to the door wanting to just leave the awkwardness of the moment behind.
 
She accepted what he held out to her without really looking at them, watching his face and then his back as he left the room. Her voice was caught in her throat, unable to say anything at all as she watched the door close and he was gone. Only then did she look down and realize what he had given her. A little smirk crossed her lips...
 
Kael didn’t stop till he was back at his room. He sat down in a large arm chair looking into the fire and pouring himself a cup of spiced wine. He was troubled, never had he felt such a wave of fear and doubt as when he walked in on Blair Ross in her shift tonight. Never had he felt such a thing with any woman, normally when he would walk in on them like that he would take advantage of the situation to make them feel his presence even more. He couldn’t explain the feeling with Blair.

He did finally sleep that night though restlessly finally coming to her room the next morning and knocking lightly. He had pulled himself back together after the situation the night before and so walked in again even after the way he had felt last night.
 
Once more he found the room and her not in their usual place. She was not in the bed, but slumped over in a chair pulled up to the table. Her arm was being used as a pillow and the charcoal was still resting in her hand as she slept in what would likely be a position that was going to leave her sore all day. The table was covered in pieces of the paper he had given her last night. Each one having a different image upon it. Every one of them was something in the room as if she had spent the night studying each and drawing them. The picture she lay on top of could not be seen since she was still sleeping on it.
 
He was in a bit of shock as he walked into the room looking around and seeing the papers. He smiled and shook his head, knowing she must have been up all night doing this. He looked them over slowly before he lightly brushed his hand over her hair and then lightly shook her shoulder. “Blair its time to wake up and have breakfast.”
 
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