(no subject)
Richard moved into Michael's room, stopping just inside the door, in time to catch Denna laying a kiss to her son's forehead. He stayed there in the doorway watching that rare softness in her motions, quiet so as not to disturb her. Though her head rose, as if knowing he was there, and she smiled at him. She gave one last brush to Michael's hair before getting up and making her way to the door and Richard.
"I need to talk to you," she murmured softly.
"I'll meet you in my office after I say goodnight to our son." He'd just come from George's room and already seen Ariella before bed, as well as having said goodnight to Kahlan's three daughters. That left Michael.
Denna nodded, "I'll meet you there." She moved past him and out the room with a wiggle and a brush even though there was enough room for her to leave without even touching him. The small smirk at him over her shoulder proved to him it was just to get a reaction from him. She loved that she could darken his eyes a little with just a well placed wiggle against him.
Richard watched her go before moving to settle on Michael's bed where she'd just been, looking down at his oldest son.
Michael yawned and curled onto his side, watching his father with Denna's eyes. "George is gonna get Anya and Jenna in trouble again."
Richard's hand shifted through Michael's hair, much the way Denna's had a moment ago. "Anya and Jenna are getting themselves into trouble. Leave that to the adults though. You just keep countering what you're sisters are trying to do. Don't let George believe them." Anya and Jenna had originally tried to put a wedge between Michael and Ariella because they themselves feared their sister. Michael had ignored anything they'd tried to tell him about his sister. He knew better. Knew Ariella. And he refused to let them color his view of her, instead choosing to stand by her. So they'd stopped for a while. But George was just at the age where his views and opinions were easily skewed if you weren't careful and so they'd started it up again.
"Of course, Papa," Michael murmured sleepily. He was closer to Ariella than any of his other siblings. Which was a good thing in the long run since they both would end up ruling Da'Hara, Ariella the Chosen among the Mord'Sith and Michael the new Lord Rahl when he was old enough.
Richard leaned down and kissed Michael's hair, "Good. Now get some sleep." Michael murmured something, too close to sleep to be coherent with words, as Richard stood from the bed. He extinguished the light in the room and closed the door softly behind him on his way out and to his office.
Denna was already there, sitting behind his desk and looking over a few correspondences from a neighboring land. He won't be surprised when he looks over it again and finds small notes in her hand writing. Both she and Kahlan were fairly active advisers for him and he appreciated both their thoughts and advice.
"Kahlan and her oldest are trying to turn my youngest against me and his sister," she commented without looking up from what she was doing at the moment.
He moved to perch on the edge of his desk next to her. "Michael told me," said with a sigh. Denna was better of the two when it came to leaving the other's children alone. It wasn't that she wasn't around or didn't interact with them, just that she respected that they were Kahlan's and didn't interfere with how they were raised. If only Kahlan were as kind. She never did anything out right. But whatever she'd told her daughters about the Mord'Sith wasn't helping any and it sometimes felt like her daughters were doing her dirty work to try and put a wedge between Denna and Ariella and the rest of the family. It drove him half crazy sometimes because he just wanted all his children to get along.
Denna looked up, anger simmering in her eyes and turning them darker. "I do not like her meddling with my children, directly or indirectly."
"Neither do I," Richard said as he met her gaze without flinching. "Especially since Kahlan, Anya, and Jenna all know neither of you would hurt them, or any of the family." His hand ran through his hair in an slightly frustrated manner. "I'll talk to them. This has to stop." If only because he'd go crazy if it didn't.
"Agreed." She stood and moved to be directly in front of him. "In the mean time, I think we should spend a weekend together. You, me, Ariella, Michael, and George. No Kahlan, none of Kahlan's girls." She didn't particularly care how he got rid of them for the weekend, but she thought it would do her family some good to spend family time together. After all, he got a little more of it with Kahlan because until the girls came into their Confessor powers there wasn't much training for them.
Richard leaned down to kiss her, a sharp nip to her lower lip at the end of the kiss. "Lucky for you I just got a few requests from some small towns that need a Confessor that I was going to give to Kahlan. A guard to protect her and she can take her girls too. Early examples of what they'll be doing when they come into their powers."
Denna leaned against Richard with a slight purr of contentment. "Good. We've never had the Palace to ourselves."
His hands rested on her waist, holding her against him. "You and Ariella going to finally use your rooms in our wing?" They've never used them before, but the boys weren't spending the nights in the temple.
Denna's head titled just a little, thoughtful. "Maybe. If you're good."
Richard smiled down at her. "You know me, I can be very good."
She chuckled and leaned up to kiss him deeply. "I'll leave you to tell your Confessor that she'll have business to attend to this weekend." She pulled back and moved out of the office with only the barest of smirks over her shoulder as she left.
It wasn't until she was out of sight that he moved, grabbing the requests and heading to Kahlan's room. Both to talk to her about her daughters and to give her the requests for her services and set up her being gone for the weekend. Thankfully they have two days to set it up before the weekend was here.
"I need to talk to you," she murmured softly.
"I'll meet you in my office after I say goodnight to our son." He'd just come from George's room and already seen Ariella before bed, as well as having said goodnight to Kahlan's three daughters. That left Michael.
Denna nodded, "I'll meet you there." She moved past him and out the room with a wiggle and a brush even though there was enough room for her to leave without even touching him. The small smirk at him over her shoulder proved to him it was just to get a reaction from him. She loved that she could darken his eyes a little with just a well placed wiggle against him.
Richard watched her go before moving to settle on Michael's bed where she'd just been, looking down at his oldest son.
Michael yawned and curled onto his side, watching his father with Denna's eyes. "George is gonna get Anya and Jenna in trouble again."
Richard's hand shifted through Michael's hair, much the way Denna's had a moment ago. "Anya and Jenna are getting themselves into trouble. Leave that to the adults though. You just keep countering what you're sisters are trying to do. Don't let George believe them." Anya and Jenna had originally tried to put a wedge between Michael and Ariella because they themselves feared their sister. Michael had ignored anything they'd tried to tell him about his sister. He knew better. Knew Ariella. And he refused to let them color his view of her, instead choosing to stand by her. So they'd stopped for a while. But George was just at the age where his views and opinions were easily skewed if you weren't careful and so they'd started it up again.
"Of course, Papa," Michael murmured sleepily. He was closer to Ariella than any of his other siblings. Which was a good thing in the long run since they both would end up ruling Da'Hara, Ariella the Chosen among the Mord'Sith and Michael the new Lord Rahl when he was old enough.
Richard leaned down and kissed Michael's hair, "Good. Now get some sleep." Michael murmured something, too close to sleep to be coherent with words, as Richard stood from the bed. He extinguished the light in the room and closed the door softly behind him on his way out and to his office.
Denna was already there, sitting behind his desk and looking over a few correspondences from a neighboring land. He won't be surprised when he looks over it again and finds small notes in her hand writing. Both she and Kahlan were fairly active advisers for him and he appreciated both their thoughts and advice.
"Kahlan and her oldest are trying to turn my youngest against me and his sister," she commented without looking up from what she was doing at the moment.
He moved to perch on the edge of his desk next to her. "Michael told me," said with a sigh. Denna was better of the two when it came to leaving the other's children alone. It wasn't that she wasn't around or didn't interact with them, just that she respected that they were Kahlan's and didn't interfere with how they were raised. If only Kahlan were as kind. She never did anything out right. But whatever she'd told her daughters about the Mord'Sith wasn't helping any and it sometimes felt like her daughters were doing her dirty work to try and put a wedge between Denna and Ariella and the rest of the family. It drove him half crazy sometimes because he just wanted all his children to get along.
Denna looked up, anger simmering in her eyes and turning them darker. "I do not like her meddling with my children, directly or indirectly."
"Neither do I," Richard said as he met her gaze without flinching. "Especially since Kahlan, Anya, and Jenna all know neither of you would hurt them, or any of the family." His hand ran through his hair in an slightly frustrated manner. "I'll talk to them. This has to stop." If only because he'd go crazy if it didn't.
"Agreed." She stood and moved to be directly in front of him. "In the mean time, I think we should spend a weekend together. You, me, Ariella, Michael, and George. No Kahlan, none of Kahlan's girls." She didn't particularly care how he got rid of them for the weekend, but she thought it would do her family some good to spend family time together. After all, he got a little more of it with Kahlan because until the girls came into their Confessor powers there wasn't much training for them.
Richard leaned down to kiss her, a sharp nip to her lower lip at the end of the kiss. "Lucky for you I just got a few requests from some small towns that need a Confessor that I was going to give to Kahlan. A guard to protect her and she can take her girls too. Early examples of what they'll be doing when they come into their powers."
Denna leaned against Richard with a slight purr of contentment. "Good. We've never had the Palace to ourselves."
His hands rested on her waist, holding her against him. "You and Ariella going to finally use your rooms in our wing?" They've never used them before, but the boys weren't spending the nights in the temple.
Denna's head titled just a little, thoughtful. "Maybe. If you're good."
Richard smiled down at her. "You know me, I can be very good."
She chuckled and leaned up to kiss him deeply. "I'll leave you to tell your Confessor that she'll have business to attend to this weekend." She pulled back and moved out of the office with only the barest of smirks over her shoulder as she left.
It wasn't until she was out of sight that he moved, grabbing the requests and heading to Kahlan's room. Both to talk to her about her daughters and to give her the requests for her services and set up her being gone for the weekend. Thankfully they have two days to set it up before the weekend was here.