Topic: Treasures

Natalya Bristol · Date: 2016-08-12 13:52 EST

Avalon. The Summer Isle of myth and legend, hidden away from the realities of the world. Only a few could pass freely from that world to this, and fewer still were held in such high esteem as The Lady's chosen Champion and Priestess. Rhys and Natalya Bristol had grown into their roles over the years since they had been given such esteemed positions, and had proved in that time that becoming parents did not detract from their devotion to Avalon and The Lady herself. Indeed, today was an important day for their little family. Today, little Ana was accompanying them down into the great Treasury beneath the Library, to lay the Four Treasures of Ireland in a place of honor set aside just for them.

The toddler walked along at her father's side, one hand wrapped in his, the other gripping a smooth green stone protectively as she gabbled away, mostly in her own nonsensical pretense of language, but with a few recognizable words here and there. On her other side, her mother walked, and ahead of them were Sir Lionel, the Grand Master of the Temple of Avalon, and Yves, the greatest scholar on the isle. The Treasury was a vast cavern, cool after the heat of the summer sun above, where many treasures and myths rested safe from the ambitions of men. And there, beside the naturally flowing stream that rose in a spring not far away, was the stone pedestal they were looking for.

Unusual for the Treasury, the pedestal was covered with soft green moss. But it didn't seem that strange to Nat. These were the ancient treasures of an island that had been named the Emerald long before history had begun to be recorded. It was only fitting that they should rest in greenery. Lionel and Yves didn't need to speak, both resting their hands on the edges of the mossy surface to open the sigils that would protect the treasures for all time to come.

Nat glanced at Ana, raising her eyes to Rhys. "It is time, my darlings," she murmured, looking down at the little girl again. "Put the stone on the moss, malyutka."

Ana pouted, scowling up at her mother, and hugged the hand holding the stone closer against her chest. She even stepped closer against Rhys' leg, as though her Papa would let her keep her pretty stone.

Rhys had a feeling this would happen. He'd even warned Natalya about it. It wasn't just the fact that such a powerful object was so tempting as to call to the little girl, but that it was a pretty bauble, and like any little girl her age, Ana liked pretty things. Rhys felt their daughter cling to his leg, as though she might be able to hide there or that he might protect her from those who wanted to take the stone away, and he crouched down in front of her, holding out his hand, palm upward for the stone. "The stone isn't ours to keep, Ana. We have to put it somewhere to keep it safe," he explained, though how did one explain such a thing to a two-year-old"

For a moment, it looked as though Ana might take to her heels when presented with the fact that even her Papa wanted to take her pretty stone away from her. Her fingers turned white around it as she looked at him solemnly. "My singin' stone," she informed him with surprising clarity for a child who more often than not regaled everyone around them with strangled versions of her parents' favorite curses.

"It doesn't belong to us, Ana. We were only keeping it safe until we could bring it here." It would have been a simple enough task to take the stone from her, to pry it from her tiny fingers and give it over to Lionel, but he knew that would only break her little heart and wound her spirit. He wanted her to give it up on her own, by her own free will. "Tell you what ....If Uncle Lionel promises to let you visit the stone whenever you want, will you let him keep it safe for you?"

It had been the easiest of the treasures to collect by far; it stood to reason that it would be the hardest to lay aside, especially for Ana. Rhys and Nat had approached the Hill of Tara, expecting some terrible test, some obstacle course to prove themselves worthy of taking the Lia Fail from its resting place. But instead it had been Ana who had heard the legendary stone singing, who had skipped merrily up the hill and laid her little hands on the granite monolith that marked the spot. As they'd caught up with her, it had been just in time to see the smooth emerald she now held close emerge from that carved granite marker and drop into the toddler's hands. It was, in a way, her singing stone, and there was no reason to wonder at her reluctance to give it up. But Mama and Papa held a greater power over their daughter than they thought.

Offered the chance to come back and visit the emerald in her grasp, Ana sighed heavily, nodding her agreement with Rhys' compromise. Her inquiring eyes rose to Lionel, who chuckled.

"Of course you may come and visit it, sweetling," the old man promised her fondly.

Ana looked back to her father, chewing on her lower lip, and slowly uncurled her hand, reaching up on her tiptoes to put the stone on the mossy surface of the pedestal.

Rhys wasn't sure why the stone had surrendered itself to Ana. She was no sovereign of Ireland, but she was blessed by the Lady of Avalon and it was her daughter who would one day take the Lady's place. If that didn't make her special in some way, Rhys didn't know what did. The stone had somehow recognized her and surrendered itself to her keeping. He nodded encouragement to his daughter as she reached up to set the stone upon the pedestal, where it would remain safe for as long as Avalon stood.

"That's my girl," he told her, scooping her up into his arms to give her a hug and a kiss.

Disgruntled at having to give up her new pretty, Ana cuddled into Rhys' arms as he scooped her up, hugging her arms about his neck as she muttered to herself. No doubt it was incredibly rude, but since no one but her knew what she was saying, she could get away with it.

Set on the mossy stone, the emerald Lia Fail glowed brightly one last time, and fell silent, perhaps sensing that this was a place where it could, at long last, rest.

"Well done," Natalya praised her daughter fondly, stroking a hand over the soft hair that adorned Ana's head with an affectionate smile for the girl. The muttering increased for a moment, and the little girl, too, fell silent with a sigh, making her mother laugh quietly. "Very subtle, malyutka," she murmured in amusement.

Her father's affection might not be reward enough to replace the stone, but it would have to do for now. They'd make it up to her later and try to find something worthwhile to replace it, but for now, it was safe. "Like mother, like daughter," Rhys remarked with a knowing grin at Natalya.

Lionel snorted at that, but kept his mouth shut. Ana was a lot more like Rhys than he wanted to admit aloud. "Thank you, dusha moya," Natalya countered sweetly, sticking her tongue out at her husband. In Rhys' arms, Ana giggled, already comforted by the silliness her parents shared.

Smiling, Natalya turned to place a folded, scorched square of leather onto the stone, running her fingers reverently over it. This was the Cauldron of the Dagda, Ireland's equivalent of the Horn of Plenty or Cornucopia. It had been said that no man who was served from it went away unsatisfied, and indeed, Rhys and Ana had been unable to eat their dinner on the evening they had collected it. Only Nat had not drunk from the Cauldron. She'd felt no need to, satisfied with her life and the wonders she had been promised, able to deny herself the temptation in the knowledge that Avalon would not allow her to go hungry. For her restraint and for her promise to make certain it would not fall into the wrong hands, the Dagda had given her the Cauldron with his blessing. And now she laid it in the heart of Avalon, to be safe and protected for all time.

Natalya Bristol · Date: 2016-08-12 13:53 EST

Rhys might have made a rude remark regarding his wife's tongue, but he had not forgotten the purpose of their visit or the fact that they weren't alone. He watched with Ana in his arms as Natalya surrendered the Cauldron, knowing his turn to do the same would come soon enough. They had each been tested during their quest - Rhys and Nat and Ana - and each had passed their test, though they had not proved easy. This, however, was what Nat and Ana, at least, had been born for, and part of why Rhys had returned from death. They were the Champion and the Priestess, and they were the only ones who could have accomplished this.

Stepping back, Nat breathed a soft sigh of relief, knowing her promise to the ancient being beneath the Rock of Cashel had been kept. She looked up at Rhys with a faint smile. Now it was his turn. "Come here, malyutka," she said, reaching to take Ana onto her own hip. "It is Papa's turn to give up his baubles so that they can be safe."

Rhys handed over their daughter to Natalya, before turning back to Lionel and Yves to give up his own treasures, but unlike Ana and to a lesser degree Natalya, he felt no compulsion to keep them. No, he had no desire to keep these things for himself that held so much power, nor did he feel the need to make use of them, as he once might have. Though he had obtained the spear first, it was the sword he was anxious to be rid of before it could tempt him with its power and its lust for blood. He'd kept the thing sheathed, knowing that drawing the blade would prove catastrophic for them all.

It was only because of the spear that he felt no desire for the sword - a sword he had once been told would defeat the armies of demons that threatened to destroy the world. And if he'd found that sword then, would he have defeated his enemies or would it have meant his own destruction' He laid the sheathed Sword of Nuadu reverently on the moss to join its fellows, and there was no reluctance in him at letting it go, only relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

Seeing the burden lifted from him, Nat reached out to lay her hand against his back - a gentle reminder that he was not alone, that he had defeated that demon a long time ago. A moment later, Ana's hand joined hers. The little girl might not know quite why they were reassuring her Papa, but she wanted to be a part of it.

As the sword found its resting place on the stone, however, Yves winced, visibly flinching from the malevolence and power the weapon exuded. His grip on the stone wavered, fingers that had been relaxed suddenly white-knuckled as he fought against the power that wanted to be unleashed.

"Close the sigils," Lionel ordered his subordinate quickly, and the two men did so. The moment the sigils were closed, Yves staggered back, sweating, shaking with the force that had pushed against his will.

"I am not made for things like that," he protested breathlessly, waving Lionel off as the Grand Master bent to check on him.

Rhys felt a strange weight lifted from his heart, and somehow he knew it had to be more than just the safe-keeping of the sword that made him feel that way. It was almost as if all the pain and heartache he had suffered because of the thing had been lifted when it was locked away behind the sigils that would keep it forever safe from those who would use it for their own ends. He felt Nat and Ana touch him, reminding him that he would never be alone again, so long as they lived, and he brought the last of the Four Treasures forward, saying, "There is one more."

"I can't," Yves shook his head, disappointed in himself.

Lionel smiled gently. "Of course you can't," he agreed. "You're a scholar, and no scholar should have to face such forces head on. Natalya?"

Beside Rhys, Nat stifled her sigh, smiling ruefully. She looked at Ana in her arms. "Will you look after Yves for me?" she asked the toddler. "I have to help Uncle Lionel."

The little girl nodded, letting herself be set down onto her bare feet to toddle over and sit herself comfortably in Yves' lap, whether the academic wanted her there or not.

Smirking faintly, Nat squeezed Rhys' shoulder as she stepped around him. "One more," she agreed with him, meeting Lionel's eyes across the stone. Together, the Grand Master and the Priestess laid their hands on the mossy pedestal, concentrating to open the sigils for the last time.

This was something Rhys couldn't do; something he had not been born or raised or trained to do, but with Natalya and Lionel's help, it could be done. He drew forward, hands bearing a flint spearhead that looked simple enough but that radiated as much power as the three Treasures that had gone before it. How he had managed to obtain it was not something he wanted to think on often. The test had been a difficult one, but one he'd had no trouble passing.

He'd been asked to prove himself willing to give up everything he had to protect his family - to protect his wife and daughter. It was almost a silly test, in his opinion. A silly test for a man who'd willingly give up his very life for that of his loved ones, as he had done once before, for what possessions were worth more than one's life and one's soul" As with the sword, despite its power, there was no temptation to keep it. He had his own sword now - Caliburnus - a sword to rival Excalibur. And so, he relinquished Lug's Spear, a spear purported to render one invincible. As the Four Treasures lay together, at last, on their mossy green bed, something unexpected happened. The Lia Fail sang - not for Ana's ears, nor to announce the crowning of a new king, but a joyous note to celebrate the reunion of the most powerful objects ever touched by the Tuatha de Danann. The emerald glowed once more, and that glow seemed to encompass the Cauldron, the Sword, and the Spear, linking them together, calming their temptations, binding them in rest. At Lionel's nod, Natalya released the sigils, and the enclosing protections sealed themselves about the singing pedestal.

Rhys had not known what to expect when the Four Treasures were laid to rest. He had seen and experienced so many strange and mystical things that there was little that surprised him anymore, and yet, he felt a strange, almost joyful, release when the stone sang, as if it was singing in joy to be reunited with the other three treasures once again.

"Singin' stone," Ana reminded them all from Yves' lap, where she was playing with the scholar's laces.

Natalya chuckled gently. "Da, Ana, it is singing," she agreed. "And we can all hear it. But you are very special, because you heard it when no one else could."

"It's done," Rhys murmured, as though needing to say something to acknowledge the end of their quest. It was not the first, nor would it be the last. It was not the most difficult, nor was it the simplest. But it was done, at long last, and there was no longer any need to worry that the Four Treasures of the Tuatha De Danann would ever fall into the wrong hands again.

As Lionel moved to help Yves up onto his feet, Ana toddled back over to Rhys, wrapping her arms about his leg as she looked up at her father hopefully. "Play now?" she asked ingenuously, the gravity of what their little holiday in Ireland had been all about lost on her.

Natalya Bristol · Date: 2016-08-12 13:54 EST

Natalya smiled, tilting her head as her eyes found Rhys'. "Perhaps we should go and see Auntie Rachel and Uncle Zach," she suggested warmly. "Would you like that, my darlings?"

There was a time when all Rhys would have wanted was a bottle of booze and a warm body to distract him from his worries and cares, but that time had passed. He had Nat now to lie beside him at night, and Ana to brighten his days. He exhaled a sigh, just as his wife and daughter had upon relinquishing their treasures, and a warm smile brightened his face. No matter how fond he was of Brooklyn or Glastonbury, Avalon would always be home. "I think that's an awesome idea," he said, scooping little Ana up off the ground. "What do you say, munchkin?" he asked, touching a kiss to the tip of her nose.

Ana considered this for a long moment, and then pronounced her agreement. "Cake," she said firmly, nodding as she wrapped her arms about Rhys' neck. Rachel always had cakes ready to eat, after all.

Natalya chuckled, glancing back at the other men. "Go on ahead," she told Rhys gently. "I'll help see Yves back to his quarters."

"Don't be too long," he replied, leaning to touch a kiss to his wife's lips. Her place was here, and she had to do whatever it was she needed to do, and then they'd be free of this task to enjoy a visit with their family and friends and, perhaps, even with the Lady. He had not forgotten the discussion he and Nat had had before they'd started this whole thing, though it hardly seemed to matter anymore. Ana was Ana, and he loved her for herself.

"I won't be," she promised, answering his kiss with her own, and brushing a gentler touch of lips to Ana's cheek. "Be good for Auntie Rachel. She is carrying around her baby in her tummy and she can't move so fast these days."

Ana blew her mother a raspberry in answer, and giggled, refusing to believe that her aunt could ever be slowed down by anything at all.

Natalya laughed and turned back to help Lionel with Yves, letting father and daughter head out of the Treasury and Library in their own time.

"You, my darling, are a very spoiled little miss. Do you know that?" Rhys teased Ana as he carried her against his hip out of the Treasury and up the stairs to the Library. He wasn't sure if Zach was there, hunched over some text or other, but he'd find out soon enough when he got to the little cottage the former angel shared with Rhys' sister.

"What's spoy miz?" Ana asked curiously, more than happy to be borne aloft as they left the cool gloom of the Treasury and came out into the sunshine of the summer isle outside the Library. Her language skills weren't quite there when it came to constant coherency, but she was definitely getting better at conversation when she concentrated.

"It's you, silly!" Rhys replied, tweaking her little nose affectionately. "Would you like to ride on my shoulders?" he asked, knowing how much she usually enjoyed feeling as tall as her father with a clear view of her surroundings.

She nodded enthusiastically. "'Es, please!" Little hands clapped as she waited to be swung up and onto her papa's shoulders, tucking her skirt down behind his neck before digging her fingers into his hair with a tight grip. The sound of Ana Clare Bristol crowing with delight made people look up as they passed, but it was a familiar sight by now. There was certainly no undue deference given to the Champion of Avalon - he wouldn't have known what to do with it, anyway.

Rhys laughed as he swung her up on his back behind his head and gripped her tightly so she wouldn't fall, even if she wiggled herself silly. Whatever the people thought of the Champion, they would at least know that the man adored his daughter and was not afraid to play like a child himself. After all, he'd been robbed of his own childhood, and so his daughter's was all that more precious to him. By the time they reached his sister's house, he had galloped and neighed like a horse, leaving both father and daughter in stitches.

The door to the little hobbit hole of a house that was shared by Zachariel and Rachel was open for once, letting the breeze cool the interior as the two dogs bounced around on the grass outside. Agamemnon and Leonora were from the same litter as Rhys' own dogs, Cody and Sasha, and recognized the visitors instantly, greeting them with barking enthusiasm. The noise attracted the young mistress of the house, and Rachel came into view bump first, her face lighting up with a bright smile on seeing who had come by.

"You're here!" she declared superfluously, waving at Ana as her niece waved to her. "Where's Nat, did you leave her somewhere unspeakable?"

"Yes, we left her at the library with Lionel!" Rhys replied, with a smirk, though there were worse places than that, but not in Avalon. "Ana wants a cake, and no one makes better cakes than Auntie Rach," he told her stepping closer to touch a kiss to his sister's cheek. "How are you, Rach' You're getting huge!" he teased with a laugh.

"I'm pregnant, how are you?" his sister countered warmly, reaching up to tweak Ana's nose. "I just so happen to have some lemon cakes, but you're so far up there, you'll never be able to reach them!"

The sheer horror of being so close to the promised cake and yet so far was enough to make Ana tap on her father's head. "Down, Papa," she demanded imperiously. "Cake."

"Yes, Your Majesty," he replied with a grin, before scooping her off his back and setting her down on her feet, followed by a silly but flourishing bow to his daughter.

Ana snickered, reaching up to claim Rachel's hand as she looked hopefully into the little house. Rachel snorted with laughter, beckoning for Rhys to come with them. "Come inside, then," she told them both. "Wash your hands first, Ana, or no cake."

As tempting as the plate of cakes was, Ana did at least know when she couldn't wiggle out of a chore. Releasing her aunt's hand, she skipped over to the pump in the corner, using a stool to get high enough to pump the water and wash her hands obediently.

Rachel smiled, already moving to pour a cup of milk for the little miss. "And how was Ireland?" she asked her brother curiously. "Was it fun?"

Rhys watched as Ana dutifully went off to wash her hands, waiting to see if she needed help. She really was far above the curve for her age, though he had nothing to judge her by but his own common sense. "I wouldn't call it fun exactly," Rhys replied, reaching around his sister to snag a cake for himself, though he had not washed his own hands yet. The latest in their little adventures hadn't been too dangerous, which was surprising considering the power of the objects they'd been sent to retrieve. He still wasn't too sure why the stone had called to Ana, unless it sensed her true purpose, and he wasn't sure he wanted to think on it too hard.

Natalya Bristol · Date: 2016-08-12 13:54 EST

"Oh, so you didn't enjoy driving around a beautiful country in a car you almost love more than your wife?" his little sister asked innocently, smacking his hand with a light touch for taking a cake without permission. "Your papa has no manners, Ana-kins."

Ana giggled, her little hands dripping with water.

Rachel paused, glancing about. "There's a towel there," she indicated for Rhys to a pile of towels on the bottom stair. "Could you? Bending isn't so much fun for me these days."

"I enjoyed that part!" he clarified, popping the cake into his mouth with a grin, despite the slap he'd earned for it. "It's just, whenever we go on one of these things, there are always all of these tests to make sure we're worthy or something. You never know quite what to expect, and I always seem to get tested the hardest," he complained mildly, plucking up a towel and moving over to Ana to help her dry her hands.

Setting the cup of milk and a small plate with one cake on the table for Ana when she was ready, Rachel leaned back against her kitchen counter, one hand absently rubbing the crown of her eight month belly. "Isn't that the way it's supposed to be, though?" she asked her brother curiously. "You're the husband and the father, you're the Champion of Avalon. Being a protector is a part of who you are. Surely that should include taking on the more difficult tests" Besides, how do you know they're more difficult for you? What's difficult for you might be easy for Nat. What you think is easy for her might be the hardest challenge she could face. I don't know much about it, but I would assume that any test would be tailored to challenge the person who takes it, right?"

"You've gotten rather wise in your old age," he teased her with a grin. "Is Avalon rubbing off on you?" Once he'd judged Ana's hands sufficiently clean, he scooped her up and set her on a chair in front of the milk and cake to enjoy her snack while he and his sister chatted. "I was going to pop in on Zach, but I wanted to see you first," he added, going over to the pump to scrub his own hands clean, before she scolded him into it.

"I am married to an angel," Rachel pointed out in amusement, but she shook her head. "Helene, the Lady's First, she calls it the wisdom of innocence. Like ....I see things in an uncomplicated way because I haven't lived a complicated life. I don't know. Philosophical discussions with Zach can last hours, though." She giggled, stretching her back a little. "You want something to drink" I have some of that iced tea stuff you told me to learn how to make. I flavored it with raspberries."

There was a flicker of a small frown on his face at the mention of her so-called uncomplicated life. He wouldn't have agreed with that assessment, but he didn't want to debate it either. Thankfully, his back was turned to her while he scrubbed his hands, so that she couldn't see his expression. "I'd call it the wisdom of women," he pointed out, though he'd met plenty of women who weren't half as wise as they thought. "That would be great, thanks!" he replied, regarding the tea as he dried his hands off on the towel and joined Ana at the table. "Are you happy here, Rach?" he asked, out of the blue.

Another plate with a cake on it had appeared next to Ana's while he was scrubbing his hands. Rachel produced a ceramic jar sealed with wax from the cold store - essentially a stone bath half filled with water - wiping it dry before she collected a couple of cups and moved to join them at the table. Rhys' question made her smile curiously.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked him in return. "I have Zach, and we'll have our boy soon. I have a home and a garden and friends, and you visit all the time. I have everything I could possibly want right here. I don't even know what?s left for me to want." She smiled her sunny smile, unsealing the wax from the neck of the jar to pour out two cups of the tea she had prepared more than a month before.

"That's called contentment," he told her - an elusive feeling he'd chased unsuccessfully for most of his life, before he'd met Nat. "I feel content when I'm in Avalon, too," he told her, though he wasn't sure if contentment was enough - not for him or for Nat. Maybe someday it would be. "I envy you sometimes. It's peaceful here with no worries or cares. Maybe someday the Lady will let us settle down here for good." But what then"

"The Lady promised you that, didn't she?" Rachel asked curiously, sliding a cup over to him. "When your children are independent, when you've had enough of adventures, you'll always have a place here, Rhys. Even the Handmaidens know that Avalon is where you and Nat will end your days, and they're expecting to have you here for years before that happens. We get to be old and cranky together right here."

"Yeah, she did, but that won't be for a long time yet," he replied. Twenty years, maybe? He'd already been at this most of his life, it seemed. He was certainly in no hurry to get old, but he never felt so content as he did when he was in Avalon. He didn't bother to point out that he'd been an angel once, too, mostly because he didn't remember it. In fact, most of the time, he didn't believe it.

His little sister considered him for a long moment, but before she could respond, Ana had put her hand in the air. One thing Natalya had finally drummed into her daughter's head was that if Mama or Papa was talking to someone else, she should put her hand up and wait for them to focus on her before blurting out what she wanted. Rachel glanced at the toddler with a grin, letting Rhys field his daughter's request.

"Play now?" the little girl asked hopefully. "Aggy and Leelee and Ana?"

Rhys took a sip of his tea, grateful for the liquid that cooled his parched throat. Even Avalon knew the change of seasons, and just like back home, it was a warm summer day. "Yes, you can play," he told Ana, not bothering to ask her for the magic P word. "But don't go far!" he told her, knowing there was little danger of any harm coming to her in Avalon, where everyone watched out for her.

"'nk 'oo!" Wriggling off her stool, Ana ran gleefully outside, greeted by the barks of Rachel and Zach's dogs.

Laughing quietly, Rachel looked back at her brother. "So what is really bothering you?" she asked him with a stern smile. "You always seem to be unsettled when you visit me without Nat."

Well, at least, she'd said thank you, if not please. Rome wasn't built in a day, after all. "Nothing," he replied with a thoughtful frown as he idly examined the cake in front of him. "I don't know. I always feel a little weird after these things are over. Maybe it's just what happens after the adrenaline rush has ended," he reasoned with a shrug. He wasn't even sure if she'd know what adrenaline was.

"Well, I doubt The Lady will ask you to do anything else for a while," Rachel pointed out, not even bothering to ask what adrenaline was. Most of what Rhys said, she had to guess at. "You can settle in to being boring like me for a bit before you get another ....adra-linen rush."

He couldn't help but chuckle a little at that, but it served him right for using a word she'd never heard of. "May I?" he asked, pushing his chair closer and lifting a hand toward her belly. Brother or not, he'd learned the hard way to ask first.

Natalya Bristol · Date: 2016-08-12 13:55 EST

"Feel free," she grinned, always happy to show off her bump. Leaning back, she twisted toward her brother to make it easier for him to greet his unborn nephew. Like most of the women on Avalon during the hot months of the year, she was only wearing her shift, with a sleeveless loose robe over the top that fell open around her bump, surprisingly comfortable despite the heat. And the baby was certainly active - at the first touch of Rhys' hand, he was kicked soundly, directly on his palm.

Rhys smiled, delighted by the greeting his nephew gave him and delighted by children, in general. In a lot of ways, he was just an overgrown child himself; it was one of those things that some around him found irritating and few understood. Thankfully, Nat was not one of them. "He's got a good kick. Have you decided on names?" he asked curiously, skillfully deflecting the conversation away from himself.

She shook her head. "I don't know many names, and all the names Zachariel knows are angelic," she shrugged. "Aurelia says that there are things called baby name books on Earth; she said she'd pick one up for us when they go back this time."

"They're here?" Rhys asked, arching a brow. He'd met Aurelia years ago in Rhy'Din. She'd helped him then, and he'd returned the favor when she'd needed his help, but it wasn't him who'd brought her to Avalon, but her husband who happened to be an Arthurian scholar. "Rhys is a good name," he suggested with a smirk, but then another thought came to mind. "Or Patrick," he murmured.

"The Loremaster is researching something, but he got sidetracked," Rachel told him, giggling a little. "He let me try on his spectacles. How does he read when the words are all squiggly and blurry through them?" Having distracted herself for a moment, she blinked as she realized what he'd suggested in a murmur. "Dad's name" You ....you wouldn't mind that?"

He would have explained how spectacles worked, but he'd distracted himself with thoughts of his father and the name he'd meant to give his own son once upon a time, but that time seemed to have passed. Somehow, he suddenly understood that it was time to let it go - to let his father go and the son that might have been. He and Nat would have a son of their own, and his name would not be Patrick. "I know you never knew him, but he was a good man, Rach," he told her. And it wasn't his fault what had happened. That had been the fault of the demons, not him.

"Mom really loved him," she said softly. She knew, because their mother's ghost had watched over her for twenty years, told her that she had a brother, shared stories about the childhood she should have had. Her fingers curled around Rhys' to squeeze gently. "Of course he was a good man. He made you."

And I killed him, he thought to himself, for what had to be the umpteen thousandth time, though he'd made peace with that fact years ago - or thought he did. He'd loved his father, and though he was glad their mother's spirit had kept watch over Rachel all those years, he never knew what had become of his father. He hoped he was at least at peace. Maybe that was a question for the Lady, or better yet, Lailah, but he hadn't heard from his guardian angel in a very long time.

"He did a lot more than that," he said. Had he ever told her about her father" He didn't think he had. It had always been too painful to talk about, but if anyone had a right to know, it was Rachel. "He was hoping for a girl, you know."

That was the wonderful and terrible thing about drinking from the Grail. It forced you to forgive yourself for your perceived mistakes and ill fortunes, or you would die from the guilt you had laid upon your own shoulders. Rachel gathered her brother's hand between her own, offering up a little of the one insecurity she held close. "Would ....would he have liked me?"

As tragic as his parents' deaths were, unlike Rachel, Rhys, at least, had known them and known their love. This was something he could help her with, something he could give her. He smiled as she took told of his hand, sensing the one question that still tugged at her heart - the one thing she could never know for certain. "He would have loved you, just as he loved me. He was the best, Rach. Mom said he was waiting for her, remember" They're at peace now. They're together," he told her, though maybe it was really him who needed to hear it. Maybe it was time to let them both go.

"You name your son anything you want," he told her abruptly. "Dad knows we love him. He has to." Carrying on the family name wasn't going to bring him back, and he'd live on in Rhys' memory, no matter what.

She half-smiled, trusting him to tell her the truth, even if she could never verify it. "Maybe we should let him rest," she said quietly. "His name hurts you, even if you'd never admit it, and I don't want you to hurt every time you see your nephew or call his name. Maybe we should look for a name that means the same, rather than give our son his grandfather's name."

"Maybe," Rhys mused aloud. Maybe it was time to put the name to rest, at least for now. At least, until Rhys could hear it and say it without it feeling like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. "No Zachariel Junior?" he teased, withdrawing his hand from her belly at last so he could finish his cake. There were plenty of angelic names to choose from, though he understood his sister's reluctance to use them. "You know what? I think he deserves a name of his own. A name that you think fits him."

"No," she giggled, shaking her head. "I think his name should be his own. He gets confused enough as it is." Taking a sip from her cup, she rested it on the crown of her belly comfortably. "Sir Lionel has been telling me stories he knows from Earth. From around the time when Avalon came here. I like some of the names in them. Like Arthur and Gawain and Tristan."

"They're good names. Knights' names," he said, though, of course, Arthur had been a king, not a knight. Names fit for a child of Avalon. "Maybe you should talk to the Loremaster. I'm sure he could help you find a good name," he suggested. It didn't hurt that Ian just happened to be in Avalon right now.

"Really?" Rachel brightened, clearly pleased that her brother approved of the names she liked. She wasn't sure if Zach would respond quite so favorably to them, but it couldn't hurt to ask him at some point. "His daughter has a name from the same times, doesn't she" And it's beautiful, just like Ana."

"Yes," Rhys replied, a little envious that Ian and Aurelia had actually met the people whose names were among those of myth and legend - people he would never know but through the words of others. And yet, there was Elaine, the Lady of Avalon. "You could do worse than to name your son after a knight," he told her.

"If Zach agrees, maybe," she nodded, smiling her shy, sunny smile. An odd sort of shimmer touched the air on Rhys' lap. Rachel just had time to sigh with resigned acceptance before that shimmer resolved itself into the familiar shape of the Loremaster's year-old daughter. "Morgan Evans, you're not supposed to do that!"

Rhys looked startled for a moment, chuckling when he realized it was a tiny witch who'd appeared out of nowhere onto his lap. "Where did you come from and where are your parents?" he asked the little girl, wondering if he should call Ana inside to see her small friend.

Natalya Bristol · Date: 2016-08-12 13:56 EST

The baby girl blinked as she looked around, acquainting herself with where she had landed before letting out a brimming laugh and clapping pudgy hands together. Rachel rolled her eyes. "Wait for it," she predicted, her amusement plain on her face, and just a moment or so later, another shimmer made itself known.

Aurelia shimmered into sight, hands on her hips. "I am so sorry," she apologized to Rachel almost before she was solid. "She is supposed to be napping ....Rhys! How are you?"

"Playing catch with your teleporting daughter, it seems," he replied with a chuckle. He offered the little girl a bite of his cake, or what was left of it, anyway, not overly worried about germs. "I'd give you a hug, but my lap is occupied at the moment."

As Morgan chewed industriously on the little mouthful of cake she'd been given, Aurelia laughed, shaking her head. "It is her favorite game when she is bored these days," she explained with a weary sigh. "Ian almost had a heart attack the first time she did it, but she seems to confine this game to Avalon for now." She smiled, looking over to Rachel. "How are you feeling today?"

Rachel's sunny smile mirrored hers. "Much better," she assured the witch. "The tea you gave me really helped."

Rhys was almost feeling like he was intruding on girl talk as the two women chatted amicably for a moment. So far, no one had asked about Natalya, but where Rhys was his wife usually wasn't far behind. "Ana is outside playing with the dogs. Would Morgan like to join them?" he asked, unsure if the little girl was too young yet for such play.

Aurelia smiled gently at the query, shaking her head. "Non, Morgan is supposed to be napping," she said, holding her hands out for her daughter. "So I will take her home." She bent to kiss Rhys' cheek. "Come by to visit while you are here. We will be coming back to New York in September."

"Will do," he promised, touched by her show of affection. He was tempted to ask how she managed to keep track of a daughter who could shimmer at will, but he figured she knew what she was doing, since she shared the ability herself. "I'm not sure how long we're staying, but we'll make sure to visit before we leave."

Tucking Morgan close on her hip, Aurelia shared her smile with Rachel, too, as she stepped back. "I will not interrupt you further," she chuckled gently. "Good day, Champion." A moment later, her outline shimmered, and she disappeared from sight.

Rachel laughed, shaking her head. "Morgan does that about three times a week."

"She comes here?" he asked curiously, unsure if she meant that Morgan shimmered three times a week or that she specifically shimmered herself to Rachel and Zach's house.

"Well, three times here," Rachel admitted with a low chuckle. "I did hear that she had Ian running all over the isle looking for her a couple of weeks back, while Aurelia was with The Lady." She flashed her brother a warm smile. "Aren't you glad your kids won't have that kind of ability?"

"Very," he replied, popping what remained of the cake into his mouth. "How do they keep track of her?" he asked. It was hard enough to keep track of Ana sometimes, and as far as he could tell, she was just a normal two-year-old, or as normal as a daughter of theirs could be. He picked up his iced tea and moved over to the window to take a peek outside and check on her, as they spoke.

Ana was safe and well, lying on her back on the grass with Aggy licking all over her bare feet as she giggled hysterically. Better yet, Nat was just visible coming into view. It looked as though she'd found Zachariel in the library, too.

Inside the house, Rachel shrugged. "I think it has something to do with the shimmering itself," she mused. "Aurelia said something about being able to track Morgan when she shimmers, like she leaves a trail only Aurelia can follow."

"That's not very comforting," Rhys replied, knowing how he'd feel if it were Ana disappearing to God knows where on her own all the time with only Nat able to follow. He understood why Aurelia would be the only one able to follow her daughter's trail, as they were not only of the same bloodline, but shared the ability. "Like mother, like daughter, I guess," he mused, spying Nat approaching. "Speak of the devil, here comes Nat."

"She said something about binding her powers, but I suppose they decided against it." With a groan, Rachel hauled herself up onto her feet to join her brother at the window, smiling at the sight of Ana playing on the grass before lifting her eyes further. "Good grief, isn't she hot in that thing?"

"Probably," he replied with a chuckle. "But you know Nat. She doesn't know how to dress down." There was no denying that his wife liked to wear nice clothes. She'd tried to rub off some of her good taste on him, but he was more interested in comfort than fashion.

Which was why his closet consisted of some very designer clothing in very familiar, comfortable styles these days. She'd changed what she could, and let him think he was winning. Ana's cry of "Mama! Unk Za!" ripped through the quiet around the house as the two year old spotted her mother and uncle, punctuating her greeting with a running, jumping hello that resulted in Zach wearing her around one of his legs.

Rachel giggled, shaking her head. "Will you be staying to eat with us, or spending the evening together?" she asked her brother softly.

"I think we'll stay, if you'll have us," he replied. After all, they didn't get to visit with the other couple very often, and they had some catching up to do. That was assuming Nat didn't mind, but he didn't think she'd begrudge him some time with his sister and brother-in-law.

"Of course we'll have you," she laughed, wrapping her arm about his back affectionately for a moment. "I should probably start cooking, then. You haven't had proper food since the last time you were here - nothing tastes as nice on Earth as it does on Avalon."

"I don't know about that. I am kinda fond of chili cheese fries myself," he teased, turning a smile on his sister, glad to be able to visit with her for a while. As out of sorts as he might feel sometimes after he and Nat had finished some adventure or another, Avalon was always a comfort, and it was good to be able to spend time with family - especially the sister he'd never known existed.

"All that grease is just icky," was Rachel's wisdom on that point, and it was unlikely he was ever going to change her mind. She grinned up at her brother. "Come on, you can help me cook," she volunteered him, pulling him over to the larder to begin handing out instructions.

She might have been an innocent in many ways still, but Rachel was the queen of her own little kitchen. And tonight, the queen intended to preside over a family meal fit for The Lady herself, with Rhys, Nat, and Ana as their guests of honor. No matter how few the visits, or how far between, there was always a place for the Bristols at this table, and there always would be.