Part 1:
"Daddy!"
Ian Nottingham looked up from his book just in time to see one half of his four-year-old twins come running towards him. Rhiannon jumped at him. He twisted and grabbed his daughter, careful not to hurt her with the book that was still in his left hand. A laughing Daniel came closer to them followed Pryderi and Bran. The boy wrapped his arms around Ian's neck. The wolfhounds barked happily. Ian placed the book down and became tickling the girl, who screamed in delight and squired trying to get away. Daniel came around in an attempt to rescue his sister. Ian laughed as he caught his son and began tickling him as well.
"Mommy!" Rhiannon squealed.
Sara, Arraine, and Amelia came walked towards them both laughing.
"You started it, Rhi," Sara said.
"Stop, stop," Daniel said.
Ian stopped tickling the twins. Both of them jumped up and ran towards their Mother, Aunt, and sister. Sara reached down and scooped up Rhiannon while Arraine picked up Daniel. Amelia came over and plopped down next to Ian. She began petting Pryderi, who lay down next to her, content to let her scratch him behind the ear. Ian smiled at the two. Pryderi and Bran had defiantly gotten use to the attention of the children after being rescued from the Irons Mansion four years earlier. One of the servants had taken care of the pair until Ian, Sara, and the children had returned to New York. The pair enjoyed running around the house, but they were defiantly happy here in England. Ian thought about leaving the pair here when the returned home at the end of the summer, but he hadn't mentioned it to Sara yet. And there was no telling how the children would react.
"Lunch is ready," Arraine said.
Ian stood tousling Amelia's hair as he walked past her.
"Oh," Sara said when he reached her. "Culhcain is back with Gabe. His flight was delayed."
Ian smiled. Gabe was spending a week with them. The kids had insisted. The three of them had just about the whole family wrapped around their fingers. They went inside, all careful not to track mud in the house. Gabe sat at the dining room table with Culhcain. The twins squealed and where immediately put down. They ran to Gabe.
"Unca Gabe," Rhiannon crawled onto his lap.
"Hey, kiddos," Gabe said hugging the girl. "Did you miss me?"
"Yes!" both them shouted.
"Have a nice flight, Gabe?" Ian sat in the chair next to the younger man.
"Much better then the last one," Gabe said referring to the time Irons had abducted him and brought him across the ocean chasing Sara.
"There you go, children," Arraine sat a plate of sandwiches on the table then returned to the kitchen
"Oh, do you need help?" Sara started after her.
"No, dear," the older woman reentered with a tray of glasses of milk.
Gabe grabbed a sandwich. "Plane food is terrible."
Ian laughed. Lunch was devoured quickly, followed by a rare moment in which the twins decided it was naptime. The dogs followed Amelia and the twins up the stairs. The former wanted to see if Laura, her best friend from school, had e-mailed her.
"Well, hun," Sara said putting her arms around Ian. "You ready to go for that ride?"
"Of course," Ian stood up.
Together they went out to the stable. They saddled and mounted Guivre and Draco. They allowed the horse's to wonder their way across the moor for a time. Draco turned suddenly almost knock a surprised Ian off his back. Ian looked up in the same directions as the horse. A white horse came racing over one of the hills, the rider black hair contrasting with the horse's white mane. The obviously female rider appeared to be near Gabe's age. As she neared them Draco became agitated. The great black horse reared. The white horse stopped suddenly, and spun around before bolting in the opposite direction. The rider was caught unprepared and when the horse stumbled momentarily she was knock to the ground. The horse continued on running in the direction it had come.
Ian jumped down off of Draco and raced to the girl's side, Sara right behind him. The girl was unconscious.
Sara touched the girl's hair. "I wonder who she is."
"Maybe Culhcain and Arraine will know her," he reached down and pulled the girl into his arms. Her frame was thin yet tall. Sara held her as Ian mounted. He pulled the girl up onto the back of the horse with him. He waited for Sara to mount before they took off towards the house.
They left the horses in the yard. Ian carried the girl in the house. Arraine meet him in the entrance way and Culhcain went out to tend to the horses. Ian laid the girl on the bed in the room Arraine took them too.
"Do you know here?" Ian asked Arraine as the woman tended to the girl.
"I have never seen her before," Arraine replied. "She doesn't appear to be injured. "She will probably wake up soon. I think I'll go downstairs and start dinner. Don't worry you two. She'll be fine." With that she left the room.
Ian looked down at the girl. He reached out and brushed a lock of black hair out of her face. Looking at Sara, he put his arm around her and let her led him out of the room.
Morrigan's head hurt. She reached up to touch her forehead. It was hard to believe she had fallen off Epona. The large white mare had never thrown her before. He head rolled to one side and she felt something soft sift beneath it. Her eyes snapped open. She was in a strange bed in a strange room. It was a bright room, cheery, safe. One she had always imagine in a house full of love. She smiled to herself. Throwing the blanket off her, she slipped out off of the bed. She caught her reflection in a mirror. She had a bruise on her forehead. The knock at the door caused her to turn.
A woman with brown hair carrying a beautiful little girl came into the room. The woman stared at her for a moment before speaking. "My name is Sara, this is Rhiannon. Its good to see you awake. Dinner is ready if you are up to eating."
"Thank you," Morrigan said. "My name is Morrigan, and yes I am very hungry."
"Good," Sara smiled at her. "Cause Arraine fixed more then enough food."
"You look like Daddy," the little girl, Rhiannon said.
"Excuse me?" Morrigan blinked several times at the girl before turning to the mother. "Could you so me to a bathroom first?"
"Of course," Sara replied. "I'll have Amelia take you downstairs."
The bathroom was right across the hall. Morrigan watched the woman carry the child down a set of steps. I wonder what she meant by me looking like her daddy, she thought as she closed the door.
Sara sat Rhiannon down in her chair next to Gabe. "Amelia, the girl is in the bathroom upstairs could you show her down when she is done."
"Sure, Mom," Amelia stood and walked towards the stairs.
Sara looked at Ian before sitting down. The resemblance between him and the girl was remarkable. She hadn't noticed when the girl was unconscious but now that she was awake it was startling. Same black hair that was somewhat curled. Even the same basic bone structure in the face. The girl was certainly tall. A few inches more then Sara. But the eyes were different. Ian's was the same brown as Arriane's, who was his mother's twin, but the girl's eyes were the palest shade of blue Sara had ever seen.
"Something wrong," Ian asked bringing Sara out of her thoughts.
"No, yes,"
"Which is it?" Ian smiled gently at her his eyes full of concern.
"You'll have to see for yourself."
Amelia brought the girl down then. Ian stood and turned to look at them. Arraine reentered the dining room and she made a noise when she saw the girl. Culhcain dropped the knife he'd been using to cut up the ham. Gabe's mouth hung up. Ian and the girl just stood there staring at each other. The girl suddenly looked like she was going to fall, but Ian closed the distance between them in two steps and reached out to support her. They continued staring as Ian led her to a chair.
"I told ya," Rhiannon said to Danny. "She looks like Daddy."
"Who are you?" Ian asked when he had returned to the seat next to Sara.
"You look just like the drawings of my uncle," Morrigan said.
Arraine left the room.
The girl suddenly seemed to realize that she hadn't answered Ian's question. "My name is Morrigan."
"Ian," was the reply. "You've meet Sara, Rhiannon and Amelia." He looked at Sara before continuing. "This is Gabe, and Daniel and Culhcain, my uncle. Arraine, my aunt, is the woman who just left the room."
Culhcain stood and approached the girl. "You are Rrome?"
"Was, my father and I left several years ago," the girl looked down at the table. "He didn't want to be King."
Arraine reappeared carrying the old book of photos. She placed it on the table in front of the girl. Ian stood again and walked around to stand on the other side of the girl. Sara watched her open it up to the photos from the gypsy camps. Morrigan pointed right to Ian's father.
"That is my uncle, Gregor," she said looking up at Arraine. "I never knew him, but father has sketches that he did when he was younger." She pointed to a boy next to Gregor. A boy who looked just about to become a man. "That is my father. The youngest of the three brothers."
"I remember now," Arraine said. "Your father's name is Conary and your other uncle is Dermot."
Morrigan nodded. "When they found Gregor dead, Dermot became King, but he died five winters ago and they wanted my father to become King. He didn't want me to live all of my life with the gypsies. So we left one night. Father started selling some of his paintings for us to have money. We bought a house a few miles from here just a few months ago." She looked up at Ian. "You're Gregor's son?"
"Yes," Ian said.
"Oh, Father will be so happy to meet you," Morrigan smiled at him.
"In the morning," Sara said looking around at the children. "Right now I think dinner is getting cold."
"Daddy!"
Ian Nottingham looked up from his book just in time to see one half of his four-year-old twins come running towards him. Rhiannon jumped at him. He twisted and grabbed his daughter, careful not to hurt her with the book that was still in his left hand. A laughing Daniel came closer to them followed Pryderi and Bran. The boy wrapped his arms around Ian's neck. The wolfhounds barked happily. Ian placed the book down and became tickling the girl, who screamed in delight and squired trying to get away. Daniel came around in an attempt to rescue his sister. Ian laughed as he caught his son and began tickling him as well.
"Mommy!" Rhiannon squealed.
Sara, Arraine, and Amelia came walked towards them both laughing.
"You started it, Rhi," Sara said.
"Stop, stop," Daniel said.
Ian stopped tickling the twins. Both of them jumped up and ran towards their Mother, Aunt, and sister. Sara reached down and scooped up Rhiannon while Arraine picked up Daniel. Amelia came over and plopped down next to Ian. She began petting Pryderi, who lay down next to her, content to let her scratch him behind the ear. Ian smiled at the two. Pryderi and Bran had defiantly gotten use to the attention of the children after being rescued from the Irons Mansion four years earlier. One of the servants had taken care of the pair until Ian, Sara, and the children had returned to New York. The pair enjoyed running around the house, but they were defiantly happy here in England. Ian thought about leaving the pair here when the returned home at the end of the summer, but he hadn't mentioned it to Sara yet. And there was no telling how the children would react.
"Lunch is ready," Arraine said.
Ian stood tousling Amelia's hair as he walked past her.
"Oh," Sara said when he reached her. "Culhcain is back with Gabe. His flight was delayed."
Ian smiled. Gabe was spending a week with them. The kids had insisted. The three of them had just about the whole family wrapped around their fingers. They went inside, all careful not to track mud in the house. Gabe sat at the dining room table with Culhcain. The twins squealed and where immediately put down. They ran to Gabe.
"Unca Gabe," Rhiannon crawled onto his lap.
"Hey, kiddos," Gabe said hugging the girl. "Did you miss me?"
"Yes!" both them shouted.
"Have a nice flight, Gabe?" Ian sat in the chair next to the younger man.
"Much better then the last one," Gabe said referring to the time Irons had abducted him and brought him across the ocean chasing Sara.
"There you go, children," Arraine sat a plate of sandwiches on the table then returned to the kitchen
"Oh, do you need help?" Sara started after her.
"No, dear," the older woman reentered with a tray of glasses of milk.
Gabe grabbed a sandwich. "Plane food is terrible."
Ian laughed. Lunch was devoured quickly, followed by a rare moment in which the twins decided it was naptime. The dogs followed Amelia and the twins up the stairs. The former wanted to see if Laura, her best friend from school, had e-mailed her.
"Well, hun," Sara said putting her arms around Ian. "You ready to go for that ride?"
"Of course," Ian stood up.
Together they went out to the stable. They saddled and mounted Guivre and Draco. They allowed the horse's to wonder their way across the moor for a time. Draco turned suddenly almost knock a surprised Ian off his back. Ian looked up in the same directions as the horse. A white horse came racing over one of the hills, the rider black hair contrasting with the horse's white mane. The obviously female rider appeared to be near Gabe's age. As she neared them Draco became agitated. The great black horse reared. The white horse stopped suddenly, and spun around before bolting in the opposite direction. The rider was caught unprepared and when the horse stumbled momentarily she was knock to the ground. The horse continued on running in the direction it had come.
Ian jumped down off of Draco and raced to the girl's side, Sara right behind him. The girl was unconscious.
Sara touched the girl's hair. "I wonder who she is."
"Maybe Culhcain and Arraine will know her," he reached down and pulled the girl into his arms. Her frame was thin yet tall. Sara held her as Ian mounted. He pulled the girl up onto the back of the horse with him. He waited for Sara to mount before they took off towards the house.
They left the horses in the yard. Ian carried the girl in the house. Arraine meet him in the entrance way and Culhcain went out to tend to the horses. Ian laid the girl on the bed in the room Arraine took them too.
"Do you know here?" Ian asked Arraine as the woman tended to the girl.
"I have never seen her before," Arraine replied. "She doesn't appear to be injured. "She will probably wake up soon. I think I'll go downstairs and start dinner. Don't worry you two. She'll be fine." With that she left the room.
Ian looked down at the girl. He reached out and brushed a lock of black hair out of her face. Looking at Sara, he put his arm around her and let her led him out of the room.
Morrigan's head hurt. She reached up to touch her forehead. It was hard to believe she had fallen off Epona. The large white mare had never thrown her before. He head rolled to one side and she felt something soft sift beneath it. Her eyes snapped open. She was in a strange bed in a strange room. It was a bright room, cheery, safe. One she had always imagine in a house full of love. She smiled to herself. Throwing the blanket off her, she slipped out off of the bed. She caught her reflection in a mirror. She had a bruise on her forehead. The knock at the door caused her to turn.
A woman with brown hair carrying a beautiful little girl came into the room. The woman stared at her for a moment before speaking. "My name is Sara, this is Rhiannon. Its good to see you awake. Dinner is ready if you are up to eating."
"Thank you," Morrigan said. "My name is Morrigan, and yes I am very hungry."
"Good," Sara smiled at her. "Cause Arraine fixed more then enough food."
"You look like Daddy," the little girl, Rhiannon said.
"Excuse me?" Morrigan blinked several times at the girl before turning to the mother. "Could you so me to a bathroom first?"
"Of course," Sara replied. "I'll have Amelia take you downstairs."
The bathroom was right across the hall. Morrigan watched the woman carry the child down a set of steps. I wonder what she meant by me looking like her daddy, she thought as she closed the door.
Sara sat Rhiannon down in her chair next to Gabe. "Amelia, the girl is in the bathroom upstairs could you show her down when she is done."
"Sure, Mom," Amelia stood and walked towards the stairs.
Sara looked at Ian before sitting down. The resemblance between him and the girl was remarkable. She hadn't noticed when the girl was unconscious but now that she was awake it was startling. Same black hair that was somewhat curled. Even the same basic bone structure in the face. The girl was certainly tall. A few inches more then Sara. But the eyes were different. Ian's was the same brown as Arriane's, who was his mother's twin, but the girl's eyes were the palest shade of blue Sara had ever seen.
"Something wrong," Ian asked bringing Sara out of her thoughts.
"No, yes,"
"Which is it?" Ian smiled gently at her his eyes full of concern.
"You'll have to see for yourself."
Amelia brought the girl down then. Ian stood and turned to look at them. Arraine reentered the dining room and she made a noise when she saw the girl. Culhcain dropped the knife he'd been using to cut up the ham. Gabe's mouth hung up. Ian and the girl just stood there staring at each other. The girl suddenly looked like she was going to fall, but Ian closed the distance between them in two steps and reached out to support her. They continued staring as Ian led her to a chair.
"I told ya," Rhiannon said to Danny. "She looks like Daddy."
"Who are you?" Ian asked when he had returned to the seat next to Sara.
"You look just like the drawings of my uncle," Morrigan said.
Arraine left the room.
The girl suddenly seemed to realize that she hadn't answered Ian's question. "My name is Morrigan."
"Ian," was the reply. "You've meet Sara, Rhiannon and Amelia." He looked at Sara before continuing. "This is Gabe, and Daniel and Culhcain, my uncle. Arraine, my aunt, is the woman who just left the room."
Culhcain stood and approached the girl. "You are Rrome?"
"Was, my father and I left several years ago," the girl looked down at the table. "He didn't want to be King."
Arraine reappeared carrying the old book of photos. She placed it on the table in front of the girl. Ian stood again and walked around to stand on the other side of the girl. Sara watched her open it up to the photos from the gypsy camps. Morrigan pointed right to Ian's father.
"That is my uncle, Gregor," she said looking up at Arraine. "I never knew him, but father has sketches that he did when he was younger." She pointed to a boy next to Gregor. A boy who looked just about to become a man. "That is my father. The youngest of the three brothers."
"I remember now," Arraine said. "Your father's name is Conary and your other uncle is Dermot."
Morrigan nodded. "When they found Gregor dead, Dermot became King, but he died five winters ago and they wanted my father to become King. He didn't want me to live all of my life with the gypsies. So we left one night. Father started selling some of his paintings for us to have money. We bought a house a few miles from here just a few months ago." She looked up at Ian. "You're Gregor's son?"
"Yes," Ian said.
"Oh, Father will be so happy to meet you," Morrigan smiled at him.
"In the morning," Sara said looking around at the children. "Right now I think dinner is getting cold."