It wasn’t long after arriving that the Warlord went looking for the new Queen of the Hallows. He made his way through the Feast Hall, and out to the courtyard. Her scent was everywhere. Evidence of her day to day life in the Hallows laid out for his senses to find. Familiar, yet different. His little girl had become an adult, a leader. He felt nostalgic just finding the evidence of it as he moved towards the gardens, seeking the newest scent of her.

Moving away from the castle entrance, he followed the scent of the sea and let it lead him to the castle walls, and the view of the ocean. A small smile tugged at his lips, as he remembered teaching Artorias the art of meditation in his spot. He opened his eyes again, looked down, and found her. Wondering in the gardens he had just departed. “Briar!” he called, lifting his paw in a wave before she could wander away once more. He trotted down off the walls, and towards her.


"Sirius"

Briar walked through the gardens inspecting the plants that were growing full and bountifully with all the sunshine that had come with Auster's spring. After having rains through most of the winter the ground was still full of water that the plants were clearly taking advantage of. With Marigold's help she was taking inventory of what they already had growing and what they might want to consider planting. Gwynevere and the other healers of The Hallows were very skilled and knowledgeable in their craft and certainly had a wide array of herbs growing already, but there was still space they could fill so she began considering things that didn't necessarily have a medical use, but would be fun to have for flavoring meals and decorating the castle. She was certain Lia would enjoy helping her with he little project if nothing else.

A familiar voice calling her name made her ears perk and her head tipped up till her turquoise gaze landed on the face of her father peering down at her from the castle wall. A grin pulled over her features and her braided tail swayed gently as she watched him disappear from view, clearly coming down to join her. She knew from the information she got from Willow's watchful observations that he had come to visit, but she hadn't had a chance to actually see or speak to him yet. Leaving Marigold to continue taking inventory for her, she turned to go find him, meeting him half way from where he came down off the castle's walls. "Has Artorias put you to work as a sentinel already?" she half joked with a smirk, chuckling as she walked over to him and pressed her nose affectionately to his cheek.

"Briar Fatalis"

He grinned at his daughter. It would always be strange to think how his little girl had grown. He was thankful that where she had gone was somewhere he would always be able to find her again. “I thought I’d try out an apprenticeship under another leader….” he teased, thinking of the time Artorias had spent in the Armada.

As she leaned her nose to his cheek, he wrapped a paw about the girl, holding her to him. “It’s good to see you, Briar. You look good, leadership suits you.” he said, pausing for a moment as he leaned back and took her in. “Want to tell me what you’ve been up to?” he asked, opening the floor for her to tell him about her experiences.

"Sirius"

Briar grinned and chuckled at her father’s mention of being an apprentice under another alpha. It really didn’t even feel like it had been that long since Artorias had been a student under her father and living in the Armada for a season. Time had really flown and she didn’t feel like it was slowing down any time soon. “Hmmm I guess I can approve you as an apprentice… As long as you promise that I won’t catch you with mom in the armory,” she joked, giving her father a cheeky grin.

She happily leaned into his embrace as he squeezed her to him, always careful not to hit him in the face with her antlers though he had always been good about dodging them. “It’s good to see you too, dad,” she replied genuinely. As much as she loved living in The Hallows and as much as she adored Artorias, she did miss her family—especially her father. When he opened the floor for her to tell him about her experiences she smiled and nodded, saying, “I’ve been keeping busy. I’ve taken over keeping track of the pack’s supplies and have been working mostly with the healers and hunters. I’ve been working on some improvements around the castle too and planned some repairs for structures they’ve built.” The castle was a big place and The Hallows was a sizable pack so just keeping up with it and making sure everyone’s needs were met was a pretty big job on its own.

It certainly wasn’t all work and no play though. Wedding preparations had also begun to creep their way into her thoughts and that was certainly more fun than anything else she worked on usually. “We had a big bonfire celebration for the pack the other night. That was a lot of fun… and afterwards Artorias asked me to marry him,” she told him casually, but the grin that pulled across her features gave away her excitement and happiness. Her tail wagged as a giggle escaped her and she lifted her foreleg to show her father the newest addition to her collection of bracelets. Along with the charm bracelet and topaz bangle she had been gifted on each of her birthdays, there was also a white gold bangle embedded with diamonds.

"Briar Fatalis"

“Hmmm, there's a thought” he teased back, his smile a little smaller as he worked to hide the familiar pain of reminder. No, there would be no ‘catching’ of himself and her mother. Not for a long time, perhaps never again.

He pushed it aside, and concentrated on her words as she told him about her responsibilities within the Hallows. Her work in logistics was vital, and she sounded like she was enjoying the challenge. “If you ever need anything, you know i’ll bring it in a heartbeat. But it sounds like you’ve got it all under control.” He smiled, enjoying seeing her in her new element.

“Ahh…. Artorias is a good young man. The kind that asks the parents first for their daughter's hand.” His eyes twinkled as he told her what Artorias had done. He obligingly placed his paw under her lifted one as he admired the jewellery there. “You are happy, my Briar?” he asked softly, knowing that was the most important question of all.


"Sirius"

Briar was a perceptive wolf as even though her father did a fairly good job of hiding something that was bothering him, she still caught that slight change in his smile at the mention of her mother and the joke of catching them together in the armory. It was certainly not the reaction she had been expecting as she teased him and it made her take note. He moved on past it before she could say something, but she definitely noticed. In true fatherly fashion he offered his help if she should ever need it, but still said that it seemed like she had it under control which she appreciated. She smiled as she replied, "I know you would. And I'll always bring you whatever you need too if you ever need it." She couldn't imagine that The Hallows was ever that much better off than Armada was, but she knew crazy things could happen like when their supply cellar was destroyed.

When her father revealed that Artorias had come to ask her parents for permission to marry her she couldn't help the wide grin that pulled across her lips in response. She had no idea that he had done that, but it just made her love Artorias all the more. He was always so thoughtful and he knew how much her parents meant to her. Her braided tail wagged happily at the bit of information he revealed and while he examined the new piece of jewelry she wore. When he asked if she was happy she nodded without hesitation, replying, "I am. I'm so happy." This had all become everything she had ever dreamed and she couldn't wait to continue living her life with Artorias here and becoming even more of the Queen she wanted to be.

She paused as she lowered her paw once he was done examining Artorias' gift, her turquoise gaze taking on a slightly more concerned, curious look. "Are you okay, dad? How're you doing? How's mom?" she questioned, turning the attention back toward him for a bit. It was so hard to know what was going on with her family now that she had moved away, but she couldn't let that little slip go without at least asking about them.

"Briar Fatalis"

The Warlord inclined his head, in respect to a Queen in the strength to make such offers. “You’d be the first person I’d ask.” he agreed lightly. Doing her the respect of assuming she’d be capable of meeting a request from the Warlord. Even if a large part of him wanted to keep on viewing her as his little daughter.

He saw her reaction to hearing what Artorias had done. He thought she might appreciate that. She promised she was happy, and he leaned forward and kissed the tawny wolf's brow. “Then that's all a father could ask for.” Letting her go had not been easy for the possessive Warlord, and it did his heart good to see how she had flourished here.

As she turned the attention back to him, the Warlord hesitated a moment, and then smiled softly at his daughter. “Don’t worry about us, kiddo. You’ve got a castle to run, and you know your old man and the Armada will be going for a long, long time yet.” he promised her.


"Sirius"

Briar smiled as her father assured her that all he could ask for was for her to be happy, her ears folding back with a bit of child-like embarrassment and a giggle as he leaned down to kiss her on the brow. If all he wanted was for her to be happy then he'd never have to worry. Being the Queen of The Hallows was certainly a lot of work and responsibility, but she had already known it would be. Growing up watching him care for the Armada was a good lesson in that. It did make her feel like she had a lot to live up to in that regard, but hopefully she would make him proud as she continued to get her feet under her as a leader.

However, when she questioned him about how he and her mother were doing, his answer felt a bit like he was dodging it in his assurances that everything fine. She frowned a little and gave him a doubtful look. She didn't doubt that him and the Armada would be going for a long time still. The pack had been a fixture for far longer than she was even alive to see, but that wasn't what she was asking about. The fact that he didn't say anything about her mother didn't slip past her either. In truth, she didn't know her mother all that well, but on her last trip home she had seen her a bit and she couldn't remember a huge improvement from when she had spoken to her shortly after her return. "I'm not worried about the packs... Are you sure everything is okay? Is there anything I can help with? Or if you just need to talk about anything I can just listen."

"Briar Fatalis"

She poked at it, like it was something bothering her that she couldn’t quite let go. He didn’t want to worry her, and he considere what to say for a long moment. He appreciated the offer from her, even if he could not use it for this matter. “Some troubles shouldn’t be given to daughters - or sons, for that matter - no matter how old and responsible they’ve become” he said at last. He put his paw gently over at hers, and the smile that was on his maw as he looked down at her was soft and gentle, and a little sad. “Just know I’ll find someone to talk to long before it becomes an issue, okay?” He said.

He wouldn’t pretend that everything was perfect, she had clearly picked up on the fact that it wasn’t. But he would not moan and complain and otherwise disrespect her mother to her, no matter how he sometimes might feel on the matter.


"Sirius"