Recent Posts

Before Caitrin could finish her sentence she was cut off, rather annoyingly. She was probably going to say something important and now she couldn’t. Well wasn’t that helpful? Their arms were still linked though, that was the main thing. If she was going to say something he wouldn’t want to here she would have unlinked her arm from his first. He had to push those thoughts aside though, as Lucan was now here and he wouldn’t appreciate his brother just standing there being confused.

A smile spread across his features and he greeted the man warmly, “Luc, you’re looking well.” Griff had noticed he’d been looking a lot better quite often and could only assume this was down to Camila. While his meeting with the woman hadn’t been the most...well, safe of situations she and his brother clearly loved each other. The woman either hadn’t arrived yet or was waiting for them, personally Griff hoped for the former, not because he didn’t want to see her, but because he was slightly concerned at the awkwardness their initial meeting would cause.

He hadn’t told Lucan he’d gone to see Camila, and he assumed she hadn’t either as his brother hadn’t mentioned it. He hoped Camila didn’t say anything as he doubted Lucan would be too pleased about his actions. Thinking about it, Caitrin probably wouldn’t be overly thrilled but she was just as bad so she wasn’t allowed to complain. “Is Camila here already?” He asked, trying to sound nonchalant but it probably wasn’t working. He was never any good at hiding his thoughts or feelings, especially not around present company.

Griff had sort of calmed down a bit, although the term "sort of" was being used extremely lightly. It wasn't every day his wife went into labour and even if it was, at least he'd know what to do about it. He had been pacing, but that hadn't proved terribly helpful so he'd sat down but his leg was still moving and that wasn't terribly helpful either. Unsurprisingly, all he could think about was Caitrin, and a lot of what he could hear was Caitrin too. Not that he'd been expecting anything else, but childbirth really, really didn't sound like an awful lot of fun.

He was about to start pacing again when he caught sight of Gwaine making his way towards him. He didn't bother asking what his friend was doing hanging around the castle's guest chambers instead of where the other knights had theirs, with Gwaine such questions never needed asking. In one sense, he was glad Gwaine was here because he could definitely do with some company, it was just a shame that it was this company in particular. As much of a good friend as Gwaine was, he didn't really strike Griff as someone who was going to be terribly useful at a time like this. "Cait's gone into labour." He said, as if it wasn't obvious enough. "She's actually in labour. Right now. Giving birth. To a child." He ran a hand through his hair because he had to do something instead of just sitting here waiting.

"Want some, it'll be a long night after all."

Griff just stared at the man. Who wanted bread at a time like this? No man in the history of well, history, had ever found themselves in this situation and thought "Hmm, do you know what I need, I need some bread." It was an utterly ridiculous think to suggest, and yet Griff found himself accepting it anyway because there was nothing else to do. "How are you being so calm about this? Cait's in labour."

As soon as the door opened, Griff stood in front of Caitrin, putting himself between her and whoever it was that was about to come in. They weren't going to be friendly whoever they were. It wasn't often that he was scared but now was certainly one of those times. He needed to make sure Caitrin and the twins were safe, he just didn't know how. His fists clenched as soon as he saw Morgana - what the hell did she want? Surely she had done enough damage, especially to Caitrin. Normally he would admire his wife's courage but now was not the time to try and be brave, now was the time to not get on the wrong side of Morgana (or anymore on the wrong side of her) in the hopes that Arthur and Esmae would be alright. He quickly glanced behind him to the crib, Esmae would be safe in there for now.

"Cait..." there was a caution in his tone, he knew his wife could easily talk her way into some serious trouble. It might not be the most heroic of actions, but trying not to provoke Morgana was the best way he could think of to keep his family safe. He turned to the other woman, managing to keep his nerves from showing through and speaking in a firm and clear voice that surprisd even him, "We have been here all night, we don't know where Arthur is. You're wasting your time." They didn't have any information so couldn't be any help. He liked to think he wouldn't tell Morgana even if he did know, that he would stand his ground and be as stubborn as Caitrin, but he knew that the minute either Caitrin, Arthur or Esmae were threatened he'd be doing whatever Morgana wanted him to. He didn't have magic like Caitrin, and he didn't have the strength and fighting skills like his brother so he was left rather useless in situations like this. He just wanted to protect his family but he wasn't convinced that he could.

Griff had been enjoying a rather nice moment with his wife, and then she went and ruined it by saying they needed to unpack soon. He didn’t want to unpack, he wanted to stay here and be comfortable. Besides, there wasn’t any point in unpacking anyway. They’d only have to put it all back when they went back to their home so they might as well just leave it all packed and take things as they needed them. “Can we not just stay here? And not unpack?” No doubt Caitrin would have something to say about his request but he was allowed to be lazy and when it came to unpacking there were very few things that were going to make him anymore proactive.

In his opinion (and a very important opinion it was at that) Griff was a perfectly good name for a baby. It was a name of...strength and...manliness....and nobility and other such things. Why Caitrin wouldn’t jump at the chance of giving her child such a wondrous name was completely beyond him. They could hardly name their son after one of her relatives. Rouland was a silly name for a baby. “You don’t have a choice in this wife.” He teased, technically, he could name his child whatever he wanted and she’d just have to accept his decision because he was her husband, of course he’d never dare to force something on her by arguing that it was his right as a husband. First of all, he wouldn’t do that anyway, and secondly, Caitrin was the most stubborn and angry woman in the world and there was no way he’d get away with it.

It was a weird sensation, feeling what he assumed to be his child’s foot, it could have been their fist, or they could be head butting, elbowing, kneeing...there were a number of things they could be doing and that really wasn’t the point. This was his child, he could feel it moving. It was rather overwhelming. The idea of being a father still hadn’t really sunk in yet, it was different for him than it was for Caitrin, she was aware of their child all the time, whereas he was still on the peripheral but at least now there was some kind of connection, and fairly soon the child would be born and he’d be able to hold them and hopefully not drop them. It was a rather scary thought but a rather nice one as well. After everything they’d been through they were finally getting their family and their future together.

I completely forgot about this thread, I'm so sorry for the delay.

Surprisingly, Griff wasn’t filled with confidence about meeting the rest of Caitrin’s family. She had to get that anger and stubbornness from somewhere. In Mercia he was going to be on his own, well, alright, not entirely on his own as there was Caitrin but even her presence wasn’t enough to make him feel at ease. He didn’t feel entirely comfortable around his own family, let alone someone else’s. They were going to hate him, of that he was certain, and although there wasn’t really anything they could do to prevent him and Caitrin being together, he’d rather not be hated by her entire family. Just Rouland was bad enough; having said that, all Griff had to do was throw some wine at him and then run away.

Not only was he definitely not looking forward to being scrutinised by the de Archers (because of course they were going to find faults in him and, because they were related to Caitrin, he would know about their feelings fairly soon. At least you knew where you stood with a de Archer, whether you wanted to or not), but Oliver wasn’t making him feel any more happy about the weather. Glouchedon was one of the warmest parts of the country whereas Mercia was one of the coldest. His southern sensibilities weren’t quite up to the task at hand. “That’s very kind of you, sire.” Griff replied, although Oliver was good friends with Caitrin he was still being on his best behaviour. It did not do to upset royalty and especially not when you were about to travel to their kingdom.

Hmm. Oliver’s next words did raise a good point. He certainly could survive Caitrin. All it had taken was some horse riding and a little impromptu poetry in a tree, then again, poetry probably wasn’t going to win over her father. There were very few things that rhymed with Payton. His only consolation was that Caitrin would be with him and if it all went horribly wrong she hated her family so they could just ignore them for the rest of their lives – it seemed to be working well for him and his family. So as long as he could survive this trip, everything would be fine.

Before he had time to reply to Oliver he had excused himself and Griff was left alone with Caitrin. Already she was being inappropriate. Griff rolled his eyes at her comment, although there was the beginning of a smirk on his features. “I’m sure we will...” he replied before she led him towards the carriage where Yassia was already waiting inside. He hadn’t spoken to her since the night before when he’d drunkenly tried to flirt with her and then almost collapsed asleep, so this was probably going to be interesting. Still, there were plenty of worse people to be stuck in a carriage with than Yassia and Caitrin, as long as they didn’t gang up against him.

Considering he was now aware that his wife had magic, it shouldn't be quite so surprising when she lit a torch. But, on the other hand, she'd just lit a torch with magic. He was just staring at the torch, not allowing himself to say anything because he'd only say the wrong thing - he had a habit of that sort of thing. Given everything that had happened though, he thought he was coping with everything rather well. It wasn't everyday you found out you were married to a woman with magic and just so happened to live in a kingdom where its practice was against the law. Because they needed more things to deal with.

No one could miss the irritation in her voice. She could be a little more understanding but then this was Caitrin. She might be at perfect ease with her magic and hiding it in Camelot but Griff didn't have that luxury just yet so he thought he was perfectly entitled to raise his voice a little. Besides, surely she can just magic one of those things away again? He didn't reply, firstly because she was right and he should be being quiet, and secondly because now he was annoyed. This was not the first time he'd just had information thrust at him and expected to accept it within seconds. He was still finding this rather a lot to deal with. This was Caitrin. Up until this point he had been quite certain he knew her completely, he trusted her completely and he'd assumed she'd trusted him. But she couldn't trust him, not completely anyway, to have kept this secret from him for so long. Was she ever going to tell him if they'd never been in a situation like this? He could have gone his whole life without knowing this fundamental truth about the woman he was spending it with.

"You were trying to protect me?" Griff repeated, looking at her again. Well wasn't that convinient. "You were protecting me by lying to me?" His irritation at her excuse was completely justified. He had a right to know this sort of thing, especially something that meant Caitrin could be in potential danger in Camelot. How was he supposed to protect her from it if he didn't know? The whole thing was ridiculous and he was still rather annoyed that it had taken so long for him to find out. "Yes, Cait, I do know. That's why it would have been nice to also know about this. How long were you planning on not telling me? A year? Ten? And while we're at it is there anything else I should know? Are you third in line to the throne of Camelot? Do you actually only drink the blood of the slaughtered innocent? Do you even love me? You certainly don't trust me." He broke off, getting angry at her wasn't going to help but he couldn't help how he was feeling. He ran a hand over his face, fully aware that he was now only making matters worse, the exact opposite of what he'd wanted. There was an uneasy silence between them. He bit his lip and his fingers started scratching at his neck and jaw line. Well done, Griff, he thought, you've really messed that one up.

“I’m sorry. I did want to tell you, but with the way things are in Camelot...Did you say magic was... nice?”

Griff was still biting his lip, feeling even worse after his outbreak. His anger and confusion had been justified but his words hadn't. He reached over, put a hand over hers and squeezed it lightly. "I'm sorry too. And yes, I did," he gave a rather sheepish shrug, "It's better than my talents, such as they are..." The atmosphere was still awkward, so Griff did what he always did in these situations - he kept speaking and probably made things worse. "So can you...I don't know...fly? Or turn people into toads? Can you turn Rouland into a toad?"

Griff simply nodded at her words. He still wasn't convinced - it was going to take a lot more than a few words from her to make him feel any more confident, but he decided to say no more about and just accept what she was saying, otherwise they'd end up going round in circles. The only way they were truly going to find out what kind of parents they were going to be was by actually doing it, which was a rather terrifying thought. Neither of them had particularly fond memories of growing up or loving parents, something that obviously filled him with even more confidence.

"Do you need another few moments?"

No, he didn't need another few moments, he needed many, many moments, preferably alone to gather his thoughts but she was winking at him which meant she'd only tease him if he said yes. She had a habit of doing that sort of thing, a rather irritating one. "No, no it's just a shock is all. But a good one," he replied, a genuine smile across his lips, "A very good one." In all honesty, once he got passed the sheer panic and feelings of inadequacy, he was beginning to become rather excited at the prospect of being a father - having a Mini Griff to train would no doubt be a constant source of entertainment. Caitrin would just love that which gave him all the more incentive to do it.

He ran a hand through her hair as they both stood there, just content being with each other and thinking about their future, about their family and it was not for the first time that Griff found himself thinking just how lucky he was to have Caitrin - mad, stubborn, fantastic Caitrin to brighten his days - and nights, of course. As she spoke, a smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Have I ever gone back on a promise?" There was a pause as he considered his own question, "On an important promise." He corrected himself quickly because no doubt she'd only list all the time he had indeed gone back on a promise but those weren't proper promises so it didn't matter and he was going to talk to Lucan about the-

"I love you."

And just like that all the thoughts disappeared from his head and all that mattered, all that he was aware of was Caitrin. He'd never understand how just those three simple words said by her could have such an effect on him, but then maybe that was the beauty of it. They just did, not understanding necessary. "I love you too, Cait. Always will."

Griff wasn't exactly sure what he was expecting to happen. He'd thought about seeing Caitrin again countless times and each time he'd tell her everything and she'd forgive him and then everything would be alright again. But the words weren't coming and even if they were she might not listen. He had no reason to expect her to, she did hate him after all. It was rather a surprise when she agreed to speak to him and it took him a moment to fully register this. Her definition of alone wasn't exactly alone, Celyn was still irritatingly close. Why was the man even here? This had nothing to do with him. He of course didn't voice any of these thoughts. It would probably just end up in Caitrin deciding not to speak to him at all and then he'd be back where he started. He just needed to explain to her why he left, he needed her to understand.

“What could you possibly have to say that would make up for the past few months?”

It was a question she had every right to ask, and one that he should have been expecting but it still took him off guard. He just looked at her for a few moments, mouth slightly open, desperately trying to think of something good enough to say. In his head, he just told her he loved her and that he was sorry, so, so sorry for leaving and then she forgave him. But real life had a habit of being lovely and complicated. Just telling her that he loved her, no matter how fancy his words were, was not going to make everything alright. He clenched his fist to keep from scratching his neck, it was probably blindingly obvious anyway, but he didn't want Caitrin to know how nervous he was. He just wanted to say the right thing, or anything really. "Nothing." He replied at last before sighing and forcing himself to look at her despite how hard it was. "Nothing I can say will do that." His lips were pressed tightly together now, and he was sniffing and it was all horrible and embarrassing. He was going to be composed. In his head he was always composed. But then nothing was going the way he had planned it, so why should his composure be an exception?

“You don’t know how hard it’s been since you left.”

Caitrin's voice was betraying her, and Griff could no longer look at her. Instead his eyes dropped to the floor. He couldn't bare to see her like this, least of all when it was his fault in the first place. He should never have left her, he should have stayed and explained and somehow she would have understood but he hadn't. He'd done what he always did. He ran away. He left her behind, he'd tried to forget about her so she couldn't hurt him anymore, and look where it had gotten him. "I didn't want to hurt you Cait. I just...couldn't be here..."

She'd folded her arms. Usually that meant she was budging and he could try all he wanted but he wasn't going to win. Well, he was just going to ignore her. Why she wouldn't just listen to him was something he was yet to understand. Could she not see the danger they were in? Could she not see the danger she would put herself, and their child, if she stayed? Griff was trying his best to remain calm but it wasn't easy when she was being so stupid. What possible reason could she have for wanting to stay here? Alright, it was her home and he accepted that, but it was it more important than her life? Was it more important than their child? "Why are you arguing?" The frustration was clear in his voice, but he was managing to keep himself from becoming angry. Anger wouldn't help at all right now.

Caitrin wasn't even looking at him now and her words hurt a lot more than they should, maybe she'd meant them to. After all, the situation was bound to bring the memories of Morgana's last rule into her memory. He'd left her then and it had been the worst decision of his life, there was no way he was leaving her again. There was not a day that went by that he wasn't reminded of just how much a coward he had been and regretted not returning to Camelot sooner. He wouldn't have been able to stop her going through what she had, but maybe he could have made some difference. At least he would have been there for her instead of wasting his life.

Griff ran a hand over his face. He honestly didn't know what to do and he was scared. How could he protect Caitrin if she wasn't going to listen to him? He couldn't even get her out of the house. "You think I would just leave you?" The frustration was gone from his voice, in its place there was just a dull acceptance. Why wouldn't she? He'd done exactly that before. He bit his lip and gave a small nod. Yes, she obviously would think he'd just leave her because even though they were married, even though he loved her more than anything, he'd done it before. He'd been a coward then so what was to stop him doing that now? "Cait, I know what you think but you're wrong." He stepped towards her, taking her hand in his, "We need to leave."