The Regal Rogue

20. Moving On

Now Carlyle had gotten drunk plenty of times during celebrations.
But a constant and enraged drunken state was too much for him to even stand himself.

Many times we had to have the knights turn on him and blockade him in his room until he slept it off.

Once he even struck me to the floor when I tried to reason with him during one of his drunken incidents.

As I looked in the mirror at the bruise forming on my cheek bone, I noticed how much the stress had taken effect on my appearance.
I was looking withered and frail, yet I was still young.

The next day, Carlyle saw the mark on my face and had shown great penitence.

He was never the same. He became so quiet and lost his charming cockiness.

I should've realized, but was too late when we found him in his room.
We were never sure if it was poisoning or something naturally internal.

I grieved bitterly for him, but decided I wouldn't end like mother did.
I picked myself up and kept a strong stand for the kingdom.
Though their future king was gone there was still hope.

I had an extended rule because of this, but I think the people were better off by it.

Time went on and I ruled to the best of my ability. It still scared me that I wasn't getting any younger and I couldn't just leave the people when my time was over.

As if to answer my prayers, a Scottish traveler born in Amsterdam named Malcolm, happened to stop in Grimshaw.

He was short for a man, but still much taller than me. He had dark hair that fell at the lobe of his ear with a fringe that hid his low set eyebrows. He did have aquatic blue eyes, unlike Callum. He had a short, square young looking face, but he was, in fact, a close age older than me.

I had made no pursuits for him, but he had the bravery to go after the queen and I respected that.
He reminded me of Callum that way.
He was sweet and sensitive yet seductively cocky.

The villagers took to him greatly.
Shortly, we were married and though he was never officially crowned king he left on to travel. I had begged him to stay, but he told me traveling was his never ending life's mission.

He did promise to be loyal to me for the rest of his life and that he'd never forget me so I was content to know I had someone in the world I was committed to. But I never forgot Callum who had been watching over me all these years since his death.

Again I was alone in the castle and worried about what was to become of it after my lifetime.
I hadn't bore a son for Malcolm and was left without an heir.

Fortunately around that time, an orphan was found among the villagers and I adopted it. Though it was not of royal Grimshaw decent it was Grimshaw none the less and we needed a future ruler. I raised it as my own as I had done Carlyle and it thought of me as it's true mother and never questioned that. It made me very proud to feel like a real mother.

But like all mothers, they must leave their children.
I still had many years left, but I became ill and the gods decided to take me.

My son, Quinn was only fourteen when he took the throne. Luckily he was a mature and intelligent lad for one so young.

He ruled fairly and was even humble for a king.

He did his best to keep the centuries old, crumbling castle together for it was Grimshaw's only symbol of rule and pride. It's foundation was weak and it was actually falling to the water on the weak coast side.

It was too much at once for a child, but it only made him stronger and wiser.

When he turned eighteen, he met a descendant of Callyway, Daire.

They looked polar opposites of each other.
Quinn had the Grimshaw look of reddish auburn hair, and solid,earthy hazel eyes. And Daire, the look of Callyway, like Desmond, had dark hair and the purest, silver grey eyes.

Quinn wasted no time in marrying Daire and went off in the middle of the forest to build a new kingdom.

It joined Grimshaw and it's allying kingdom Callyway together. The villages of both moved also to the same location.

It was even more glorious a kingdom combined. The people lived better in unity. They became stronger and grew. It was no longer a small village kingdom, but expanded quite far into the forest.

Not only was the village growing, but so was Quinn's family.
Daire had twelve children with Quinn.
Seven boys and five girls, including a set of triplets of a girl and two boys.
Though they all had the same look of honey colored hair and light cognac brown eyes.
They all looked like the rays of sunshine running in the clear light of day.

The children were always well behaved. They were told that the old haunted moor was their backyard and to be careful because their old, Aunt Eleanor's pet, Lorcan's spirit roamed along it, scaring the little ones into obedience.

Still this was the new generation of Grimshaw.