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Griff pressed his lips together in an attempt to keep a straight face. The last thing Lucan needed was his younger brother laughing at him at a time of crisis but then he shouldn't be quite so amusing. He really was going to be fine. Lucan was always fine - it was just a fact. He folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head slightly, "No you won't. Even I didn't do that." Alright, that wasn't strictly true, but if it was going to make Lucan feel better then he would lie. For some reason his brother had it in his head that Griff knew what to do and was someone that should be held up as some sort of example. Knowing how terrible Griff had been when the twins were first born was definitely not going to help.

The younger Aubert shifted slightly as Lucan began to talk again. He'd only mentioned the fact that Lucan had helped him so much in an attempt to make him feel better about raising his own children. He hadn't been expecting his brother to go off on one and it was making him rather uncomfortable. He much preferred it when Lucan was too busy panicking. This sort of talk was definitely not what he wanted to hear. "Yes well, see what I mean? Plenty of practice." It was rather stupid of him to have brought it up in the first place, but he'd thought it reassure Lucan that he wasn't going to be a complete failure, all his words had managed to do so far were to make him feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Apparently they hadn't finished discussing their father. He definitely shouldn't have said anything. He should have just shrugged and told Lucan he was going to be fine. But no, he had to make everything awkward and uncomfortable. It was, annoyingly, the Griff Aubert way. "Yes well, Father will just have to be happy no matter what." He half muttered, no doubt their father wouldn't be happy no matter what happened. He bit the inside of his lip. When he'd told Corneous about Caitrin's pregnancy he hadn't heard anything. His mother had written back, but not his father. Apparently the children of the second son weren't as important, after all, they weren't the heirs. Not that he cared, he quickly reminded himself, he didn't care about anything their father said or did.

Lucan hadn’t lost his sense of humour since becoming a father then – well, what little sense of humour he’d had. He was actually surprised to find his brother in such a good mood, when the twins had first been born Griff had been deprived of sleep for what seemed like an eternity and so took it out on whoever happened to be within a three mile radius – except his wife of course, he wasn’t suicidal. “It’s always great to see me.” He replied cheerfully, already having decided that being an uncle was going to provide him with excellent excuses to wind Lucan up all the more. His older brother was probably exhausted and, if he was anything like Griff had been, probably still not entirely coping with the new responsibility – then again, Lucan had always been the more responsible of the two and had a good eight years more life experience. But, instead of being sympathetic and offering words of wisdom, Griff was quite determined to be all the more annoying. It was what uncles did – either that or sit around drinking wine and intimidating any of their niece’s potential suitors.

Griff gave a firm nod in response to Lucan’s reply. Anyone could see the Auberts were blessed with almost impossible good looks (well, Griff was at least, Lucan was a little lacking), and he had no doubt that his niece would have more than her fair share of admirers when the time came. “Takes after her mother already then?” He asked, holding his arms out to take the baby. “Esmae’s just the same.” He carefully took the girl from her father, rocking her gently, remembering the amount of times he had to do this to get one of the twins to go to sleep or to stop crying. It felt rather strange holding such a small child again. Esmae and Arthur were only two, but they were both growing so fast, it seemed like years, and at the same time just a few seconds, since they were both this tiny. “Hello you, who are you then?”

Lucan’s words about their father didn’t surprise him one bit. Even thought Griff had a son himself, Corneous hadn’t bothered to see Arthur, or Esmae despite being his first born grandchild, probably because Arthur wasn’t the first born or wasn’t the son of his first born and therefore not as important. Fortunately, Griff had learnt a long time ago that nothing he did would ever be good enough for Corneous, and could convince himself just about well enough that the man’s presence was not something he needed in his life. “Arthur wasn’t deemed important despite being a boy,” he shrugged slightly, although not too much as to not disturb his niece. “But that’s probably for the best.”

Griff bit his lip – probably for the hundredth time that night – he really had only been trying to cheer her up, to diffuse some of the tension. It was his own fault though; he should know damn well that his attempts to do anything usually didn’t end well. Situations always ended up worse, and this was certainly no exception. He decided against saying anything, he probably should have done, but he wouldn’t be saying the right thing, so he was hoping this was one of those times were saying nothing would be better. Hopefully, that couldn’t make it worse, although this was Caitrin so who knows. He definitely didn’t.

He gave a small smile at her words. See – saying nothing had actually worked. He would have to remember this. Of course this would now mean that this particular instance would be the only time keeping his mouth shut would work, and he was just destined to a lifetime of getting everything wrong. But at least that was something he was used to. He leaned forward slightly so he could squeeze her hand. “You don’t need to apologise.” He told her in what sounded to him like a reassuring tone, so hopefully his words would achieve the desired effect.

Any normal person would just try and get some sleep, or if they were the sort of person actually capable of discussing emotions and, well, generally anything serious, they might decide that maybe their near death experience should probably be a topic of conversation. It had been, for lack of better words (because frankly he was too tired to think of better words), a strange sort of night, and there was plenty that still needed discussing. More functional humans would take this as an opportunity. Not Caitrin de Archer – unless Griff was seriously misreading the signals which, given everything that had just happened, would be definitely not good. With this sudden paranoia, he thought it was best not to jump straight in with his previous thoughts, but to make sure that they were both on the same wavelength. “No, but it sounds like you might.”

Well, she’s no fun, Griff thought, before deciding that she clearly needed more of his attention to make her more fun. Maybe she was used to male attention – she was rather beautiful – and so what he should be doing was upping his game. Fortunately for her, that was certainly something he could do. She might think he was irritating now but she was sure to change her mind. Why wouldn’t she? He’d been reliably informed he was both charming and handsome. Roslyn should consider herself very lucky indeed to have turned his head.

He frowned at her – a put upon frown, as he was actually enjoying himself rather a lot. It was therefore a rather dramatic frown (no doubt something she’d find irritating, but even if she wanted to slap him or run a mile, he was having an effect on her mood, so his plan was working). “I think you’re confusing irritating with charming. An easy mistake to make.”

Griff noticed her small smirk and had to try rather hard not to start grinning. His plan was definitely working. See, there wasn’t a woman alive he couldn’t charm. It was just his natural...suave...ness. Hmm. Suaveness. That was a word. Anyway. What did it matter when he had such a beautiful woman in front of him, one who was so obviously enjoying his attentions. “That there may be,” he replied with a nod, “But none such as you. Why else would I be stood here? I assure you I am a man of good taste.” He grinned at her, “A connoisseur of beauty.”

There were some things in life Caitrin really shouldn't do, especially if she valued the lives of her children. Unfortunately, one of those things also happened to be something she'd set her heart on this morning. So, quite against his will and despite his arguing, Griff Aubert had been put in charge of three small children. Alright, they were his small children but that didn't mean he should be expected to keep them alive by himself. His wife - his annoying, stubborn wife - had argued that unless he was forced to be with them on his own then he'd never learn. He was fine with not learning. He was fine without the responsibility of three lives. Caitrin, however, was not going to change her mind and had disappeared before Griff could say anything else. It was safe to say, Griff did not have high expectations of everything going smoothly. What was he supposed to do with them?

After about ten minutes of just staring at them - and them just staring back, he'd decided he needed a drink and his children needed to learn the ways of the tavern - especially the boys. They needed to get used to the environment and Esmae needed to get used to never being in a tavern by herself in case she ended up like her mother. Now there was something he didn't want to think about. He pushed such thoughts out of his mind and called for a servant to help him get the children ready for their obviously very exciting trip. The twins were only a year and a half, and Alfie was still a baby so how Caitrin had expected him to cope on his own was beyond him.

Well, now he had actually made it to The Rising Sun - with the servant a safe two or three tables away just in case Griff had a panic attack - he was feeling...slightly better. This could have something to do with the alcohol though, he wasn't entirely sure. Either way, the whole thing could be going a lot worse, so that was something to take away from this. See...he could cope...sort of. Caitrin didn't need to know that Griff-children bonding time had turned into Griff-drinking-while-children-had-fun-with-table-legs time. She also didn't need to know that he was planning on doing this more often as he'd noticed he was getting a lot more free alcohol just by sitting here with small children than he did by flirting. This was something he'd do well to remember, although Caitrin might become a tad suspicious if every time he and Gwaine went drinking he insisted on taking the children...hmm...he'd find a way.

A young barmaid had just put a drink in front of him when Alfie started crying. Oh...this wasn't part of the plan. Griff was not alright with crying children. He started rocking the infant in his arms in an attempt to calm him down. "Come on Alfie, taverns are not places to be crying." Alfie didn't seem to care. Of course he didn't care, that would be helpful. "One day you'll learn to love them." He was an Aubert after all. As suddenly as he'd started, the child stopped crying and just stared at Griff. His father narrowed his eyes at the boy. Why had he stopped crying? What was he up to? As it happened, Griff didn't have time to find out as he was approached by a man and...Esmae. Oh. He hadn't actually noticed she'd been missing...oops. Griff smiled at the man, "Yes," he replied with a nod before looking down at Alfie for a moment or two, "All of them are mine. Sorry, was she disturbing you?" Griff never apologised before having children, and now it seemed that was all he did on meeting new people. And it was always Esmae's fault, but then what did he expect with parents like hers?

Bit meh, excuse is my damn cold.

Griff wouldn’t have offered it to her if he wasn’t sure she should have it – he wasn’t that much of an idiot. Besides, to him it was only a reminder of his home, his parents and why he had absolutely no intention of going back there. Hopefully for Caitrin it would have a more positive meaning. It was a nice enough thing; it deserved to have someone care about it, rather than someone wearing it out of a sense of duty. His mother had given it to him before he left. It was supposed to remind him that no matter where he went his home was always in Glouchedon, and no matter what he did he was first and foremost an Aubert. Strangely enough, that had never appealed. The whole point had been to prove himself as Griff – not an Aubert, not a Glouchedonian, just himself. It seemed rather fitting then that it should be passed onto Caitrin. He’d found himself after finding her.

“Of course I am,” he replied with a nod before struggling with the clasp for a few moments. The chain was long enough to go over her head, but that didn’t really have the same effect as him putting it around her neck, which he managed to do with much less trouble than undoing the damn clasp. His fingers lingered against her skin for a moment or two before being reluctantly taken away. “It’s a family heirloom and you’re going to be family. You’re going to be my family.”

Ah yes, family...he’d have to tell Lucan of course. He’d heard about what happened when his brother and now fiancé had first met. In truth, he hadn’t really been surprised that they hadn’t got along. Lucan was far too uptight to approve of anything he did, so he was bound to disapprove of Caitrin’s behaviour as well. Regardless though, his brother was going to have to accept that Caitrin was going to be related to him. And Griff was going to be related to Rouland...he hadn’t thought this through...and it just occurred to him that technically he was supposed to have asked his permission before asking Caitrin. He cringed slightly. He didn’t particularly enjoy talking to Rouland at the best of times, but this was unavoidable. How wonderful. “Of course there is one downside to all of this. I’m going have to talk to your uncle.”

Hmm. Well. She was certainly in a good mood. Obviously she needed a little Aubert charm in her life – that would certainly put a smile on her face. Griff was quite certain, and when he was certain he tended to be determined. To him, there was no other possible course of action. Why, it was his duty, surely, as a gentleman to try to cheer her up? What kind of cad would leave her so...distressed? Griff was no cad. Well, alright, he was but that was hardly the point – unless she would appreciate that sort of thing, of course. He’d only been in Camelot for a few months, so it was hardly surprising that he’d never seen her before. It would also be unsurprising if she had never heard of him; although that was something he was determined to change. He was going to have a reputation – of this he was sure – he just hadn’t had enough time to procure one yet. Well, he should think any woman would leap at the chance of helping. He couldn’t get such a reputation on his own, now could he?

Her words brought a grin to his face. She was going to be fun then? Oh good. Girls who were easy were often boring, not that Griff was put off by boring, he just preferred a challenge. It was better for the reputation. Already she looked annoyed, which he thought was a tad premature. She had hardly given him a chance to be charming. Still, her annoyance was not going to stop his persistence. He folded his arms across his chest and looked her up and down with absolutely no subtlety whatsoever (it was not a quality Griff Aubert much cared for).

“Shall I impress you with my powers even more, my lady?” He asked, eyebrows raised because obviously he was impressing her, even if she couldn’t see that yet. He could be forgiven for sounding a little rough around the edges – he had only been in Camelot for a short time, after all, and wasn’t quite used to its women. What he had noticed, however, was that for some reason a lot of them liked his accent, so he emphasised it as he spoke to her. “Many of them a little less passive...”

The girl didn’t appear too impressed, but that was alright because Griff was convinced her actions and words were only an attempt not to sound too eager. She was clearly walking off so that he would follow her. So he did. Obviously. “How can it be a good day when we are parting? Unless my lady takes pleasure in breaking hearts.” Alright, it was a little dramatic, Griff was well aware of this but it was bound to work. Why wouldn’t it?

Griff had no idea why Lucan wanted to see him, which wasn't actually a surprise. He was probably having some crisis or other and for some reason thought Griff would be of help. It was an amusing thought. Lucan was always the one who could do everything, and yet since coming to Camelot, Griff was finding himself to be the one with the answers - well, about certain topics anyway, the best topics obviously. The ones that turned Lucan from the confident Knight of Camelot into a hopeless young man in need of his younger brother. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it became a strange thought as well. Somehow Griff had managed to become the one with some of the answers, instead of being the one constantly in need of them. He'd managed to actually make something of his life, managed to find his family. He wasn't just talking about Caitrin and the twins, but Lucan as well. They hadn't always been like this, well, they hadn't really been like this since he came to Camelot. For years they were just two people who happened to be related, they weren't even in the same kingdom. But now they were real brothers, related by something more than blood and a surname.

He was thinking too much. This often happened whenever he went to Allard's estate. He became all nostalgic, it had been his home after all. Allard and Lucan had been the ones to take him in when he'd left Glouchedon, they were the reason why he was living the life he was now. And although he loved Caitrin, and he loved the twins, and hell, he even had some affection for Rouland, there were times when he missed being under the same roof as Lucan. He missed just being able to talk to him without having to arrange a meeting via servants days in advance.

Having reached the house, he dismounted his horse and handed the reigns to a servant. If Lucan was having a crisis he was probably waiting for him rather impatiently. He was tempted to draw out his arrival, but perhaps that would be a little too mean so instead he went straight inside and announced his arrival to another servant, Thomas, and waited to be received. Hmm. Lucan was already on the wine. This must be important. It was only the norm to have a constant supply of alcohol if one was a de Archer. "What is it then? Are we in the midst of another crisis?"

Griff was bored. Lucan was doing whatever it was he did all day, and Lord Allard was over seeing some business back at the estate so Griff was left alone. He'd already been in Camelot for a month and come to the conclusion that it was boring, especially when Lucan kept telling him he wasn't allowed to spend all his time in the tavern. What else was he supposed to do? Completely convinced that he was going to spend the rest of the day horribly bored, he made his way down to the market. There had to be something of interest there.

With a sigh, he found himself wandering through the stalls, not really paying attention to his surroundings. Camelot was supposed to be fun. He was supposed to have found Lucan and they would spend their days in taverns and at feasts, enjoying life and doing everything their father would disapprove of. Instead, he was suffering from the same amount of disapproval, just from his brother. Lucan really needed to lighten up, but if Griff couldn't convince him of that fact then no one would. The youngest Aubert was forever determined though. One day he would get his brother into a tavern and he would jolly well enjoy it. Griff could be rather determined when he set his mind to something, and this was definitely something that was going to happen. He had decided and his stubborn nature had declared it as a fact.

He was so absorbed with thoughts of how to get Lucan to actually enjoy his life, that he almost didn't notice the young woman walk past him. Luckily, Griff appeared to have a sixth sense when it came to the fairer sex. His thoughts of Lucan ceased and instead he stood there, head turning so he could watch the woman walking. She was either his age or only a few years older, not that age would stop him. He had been known to try it on with several older women, not that he ever got anywhere but it was the thought that counted. "My lady," he grinned, the flash teeth-revealing grin of his, the one that very rarely let him down. "I cannot help but you see you a walking alone."