Hope Falls

"You are being irrational." Karina responded, wrinkling her nose. "Emotional from the effort everyone has put into this. Should I take you outside for some air?"

---

"You have been stripped of your identity, all of it. The Guardian's were obscenely cruel to you, especially when you compare what it to what they done to Thea. It isn't fair, and you were proud of what you done, of your sisters... of all of it. You are more than my love, and you deserve to be known for more than that too. I just... don't quite know how to make that happen." Conan answered, voice a whisper.

---

"Not immediately no, but you can't dance with me forever."

“No. You of all people should’ve known better than this.” Thea shook her head, wiping at her eyes once more as she looked back to Magnus. “It would kill me if something happened to you and I didn’t see it to stop it. Please don’t ever do this again…” she asked, voice breaking into a sob as she reached for him.

---

“Ah now that sounds like a challenge.”

---

“Thea is a Seer… they’re limited, not expendable. It’s easy enough to replace a Valkyrie.” Dagmar pointed out sadly. “She is a Seer, and a Queen. Two things it is unwise to antagonise in the end… She was never up for execution like I was. I suppose we should be thankful that it never came down to that…”

"It makes me angry, it will always make me angry. I can't help it. I can't be grateful for the rest of eternity for the bare minimum when others get to have all of this, marry nit once but twice. I want nothing more than for our love to be blessed like this." Conan shook his head. "It is not fair. You are not expendable either."

---

Devika took a breath, as if before one speaks, though no words came out. Relaxing her shoulders against him as her attention turned to the dance - eyes closing, relying only on his movements to to guide her next moves.

---

"Your fucking welcome." Karina seethed. Her shoulder pushing against Emmett's just enough to get his attention as she made her way out of the ballroom.

"I refuse to apologise for wanting to surprise you, Thea." Magnus whispered, hesitantly lifting his hands to take hers. "Nor how I done it, because it worked."

“Don’t do it again, please.” Thea almost begged as she squeezed his hand, still trembling a little. “The thought of being blind to danger that could harm you…”

---

“Much more dignified than your taproom jigs, mm?” Lucian hummed against her ear before gently pulling away and lifting her arm so she could turn to face him.

---

“Maybe one day… maybe we can. And if not us… our children won’t be punished for my actions… if I dwelled on the unfairness of it all… I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed…”

"I don't dwell, I think in fact we do the opposite." Conan whispered. "It's fine to talk about it occasionally though, isn't it? We can't pretend... especially not to one another."

---

"I kept myself safe before you came into my life, Thea. Please don't insult me, make me feel like a child who needs constant supervision."

---

"You find my jigs amusing, you enjoy joining in." Devika laughed, her arm snaking around his neck as she turned to face him. Eyes blinking open to meet his, "Mm, hello."

“You were just as much a child as I was when I came into your life.” Thea pointed out with a wavering laugh.

“So I think what we can take from this conversation is that my dear cousin doesn’t like feeling coddled and you, my Queen, don’t like being blindsided. Lessons have been learned, emotions are high with how elated you both are at the renewal of your marriage and I think both of you can do with something a little stronger than champagne right now mm?” Danica - one of Magnus’ cousins whom had been appointed to help around the castle - lulled charmingly as she handed them both over what looked like to be an overfilled glass of whisky, though as the light caught it the reddish tint to it would indicate that it had been topped up with something else they required. “Drink up, take a moment to gain yourselves back and then get on with enjoying your party because I didn’t endure days of verbal abuse from András over the nibbles if you two divorce before you’ve even eaten them.” She added chirpily, leaving little room for arguments.

“Thank you.” Thea murmured as she took the glass before quickly putting it to her lips to drink

---

“No secrets with each other… ever.” Dagmar agreed with a nod.

---

“We’ve already met, or has all the champagne gone to your head already, Lady? Do you require fresh air, a bed?” Lucian teased, smirking.

---

((When you type out a full reply and then it freezes and you have to redo ))

"My wife is -" Magnus began to explain, before shaking his head as he changed his mind. Downing the drink that had been passed as him, as he wrapped an arm around Danica's shoulders; "Are you enjoying the party? You must dance with someone too, who here do you like - I will make then dance with you."

---

"A bed? Oh no, no." Devika whispered, cheeks flushing red as she let her eyes close once again. "There is no need for beds."

---

"Good, so we are okay to talk about things like that."

(( Oh no ))

“I’m here to entertain your guests, don’t worry about me.” Danica assured her cousin with a grin. “A few have agreed with me that marrying the same person twice is indeed foolish however I assured them that my cousin has always been the smartest man I know.” She teased.

---

“You look like you’re about to pass out Devika, are you okay?”

---

“Only thing you can keep hidden from me is your other lovers.” Dagmar laughed softly, brushing her nose against his.

"You may have other lovers but I most certainly do not. What are there names, my move, tell me so I can decide what to do with them."

---

"Fine. Fine." Devika insisted. "Lets keep dancing, keep- have o- our drinking competition." Though despite her claims she stumbled over her own feet, head dropping to rest against his shoulder heavily.

---

"I imagine the people who have expressed this have never been so entirely in love as Thea and I."

“That champagne has gone straight to your head mm? Let’s get you some air.” Lucian wrapped his arm around her shoulder , giving her a few seconds to keep her head down before gently moving to lead her out of the doors towards the back of the hall, where the guests spilled out into the gardens.

---

“Ah there is this one lover that I visit every night, however I barely get enough time before I’m dragged away. Their name is sleep.”

---

“Love, a wretched thing. However I am glad you’re enjoying it!”

((Nighty))

"Bring the bar with us," Devika mumbled, leaning back against his arm to look behind them as she was led. "We need our shot competition. I need that foot massage!"

---

"Things haven't worked out with the Count then?" Magnus questioned with an amused grin. "That was ashame, I thought you may have found the one."

---

"We have never had the luxury of sleep, Dasha darling." Conan grinned, leaning in to press his lips to her forehead. "I would blame the children but it was true even before them."

“The Count didn’t want me… he just wanted someone. He wanted a wife, someone to be a mother, someone to run his home… but it didn’t matter who was in that role, it didn’t specifically have to be me. I’m not living like that… and I’m not bringing children into that where I have a choice to not do so…”

---

“We occasionally got a few hours here and there.” Dagmar closed her eyes at his touch.

---

“I think we may have to postpone that competition, the drinks you’ve had already have gone straight to your head. It would be an unfair competition.”

"'Perhaps I should send him away to represent us I'm the East so neither of us have to see his face." Magnus mused. "Somewhere vert very remote. We have two people from the continent here, I am sure they know a desolate village that is ghastly to live in. What do you think, Thea? A good idea?"

---

"Coward." Devika sang, opening her mouth to add something else but recoiling as the cold air from outside hit her face. Face scrunching as she dug her heels in to stop walking, swaying slightly as she idled. "The drinks mch has been strong."

---

"Only in the cottage I had full of wards to keep us hidden."

“We could take the easy way out and have nannies see to the children permanently but… they’re only children for such a short time mm? There’s not many years where they’ll want to climb into bed with us for comfort. We will get sleep when they’re all grown up…”

---

“No, I’m all grown up. He’s fine where he is.” Danica chuckled, glancing over her shoulder when she heard an excited shriek coming from Zaria as one of Thea’s ladies passed her over to her mother. “That’s the same look you make when someone dangles a good bottle of scotch in front of you. There’s not an inch of her mother on her face.”

---

“Have you eaten much today Devika?”

"No, no." Devika almost scoffed with laughter, shaking her head. Stumbling forward slightly as the movement was all she needed to lose her centre of gravity.

---

"She has her mother's love of black, and cats. Her attitude glimmers through every so often too, that'll only become more obvious as she gets older." He hummed, watching Thea and Zaria warmly.

---

"No. No I wouldn't even consider doing something like that."

Lucian wrapped his arm around her waist to steady her, gently leading her through the garden towards a bench nestled between the hedges, gently helping her sit down.

---

“Mm, there’s cats all over the castle. However I’ve never seen a single rat so… I suppose I cannot complain too much.” Danica mused, gently resting her hand on Magnus’ shoulder. “This is why I couldn’t stay with Radomir… we wouldn’t have had what you have. He would’ve treated me well, I don’t doubt that but… he wouldn’t look at me and any children we had the way you look at your own family. My parents marriage was loveless, for all they were kind to each other… I won’t do that.”

---

“We’re good parents. That is why…”

"Loveless but kind is easy. It is safe, Dani." Magnus whispered , lifting his hand up to rest it on top of here though his gaze didn't change. "You do not upset people, you do not make your family a target the way I have made Thea a target."

---

"Of course we are, I've never doubted that."

---

"If Is ate 'fore getting into this dress Is wouldn't have gotten into this dress. The corset is tight, and I need to fit in." Devika explained, cheeks flushing red - though this time from the embarrassment rather than the drink. Closing her eyes as she was sat down to try and stop the world spinning, gripping white-knuckled onto the edge of the bench.

“Whether you loved or hated your Queen, whoever she was, she would have been a target. Whoever I marry in the end, will be connected to royalty, so they too will always have a veil of threat above them… I want to be loved, Magnus. The way your Queen loves you, and you her. The way you have broken all the rules to love her. The way that in the East there are sculptures a hundred feet tall from Kings to their loves, the way there are rivers and cities named after beloved husbands and favourite lovers who got away. I’m a Princess. Life will never be safe for me, for us. If I can’t be safe I want to be loved.”

---

“I wonder about myself sometimes, especially with Aesira.”

---

“Tightlacing is never advisable Devika. Lack of air and blood flow, with no food is why you’ve ended up drunk off two glasses of champagne.” Lucian tittered, leaving her for a brief second as he found a servant in the gardens. Stopping them for a brief word before returning to Devika and gently moving his hands behind her back to begin loosening the strings. “By the time we get you to your room there’ll be some food waiting up there for you, and some tea to help.”

"All the women with titles do it, so the majority of women here. I have brushed shoulders with people of all standings but to be invited to a wedding renewal of a King and Queen? I have to fit in." Devika insisted, opening her eyes as she moved one hand to try and snatch his. "No. I'm fine. I want to join the party."

---

"You do?" Conan frowned, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand. "That is silly, darling. Aesira is fine. Both of them are fine."

---

"You will find it. It will find you." Magnus assured gently. "These things have a strange way of creeping in on you, you may not even realise your feelings for someone has changed until reality wakes you to it."

“If you care so much about fitting in you won’t want to pass out in front of everyone because you had too much to drink too soon. You need to get some air back, and then some water and some food to line your stomach before you do anything further.”

---

“I just worry about her. Cass seems to have bounced back to his normal self after everything, even more outspoken and confident now. Aesira… she’s still so quiet around me.”

---

“I’m not in a rush… but I’m not going to marry just anyone because they are kind.”

"It'll take time, she's scared. We came so close to losing you, you - I mean, I hope your memories are blurred from it all. You were so unwell." Conan swallowed thickly. "She is older than Cass, she has more responsibility and she knows that. She'll always been a little more burdened."

---

"I'm sorry it didn't work out with the Count. I know you were rather fond of him."

---

"You're wearing the kind of shirt that is too tight on your back." Devika stated more bluntly then she intended too, fighting to stop herself from slurring. "You are doing the exact same thing I am. We aren't all that different."

“I was… and he didn’t do anything wrong, we just… didn’t match in the end. There’s someone out there for me. It took you this long to be happy with your Thea, I can wait a little while longer.” Danica assured. “How about you say Goodnight to the little Princess and I’ll settle her to bed, you and Thea can get back to your dancing.”

---

“I wish I remembered… I already missed so much of their life. And me being sick was another six months completely gone. I barely remember anything, and what I did remember faded and faded until it all seems like a huge fever dream.”

---

“Shut up Devika. Would you rather I just leave you here to pass out, or took advantage of you and allowed you to drink yourself ill? Or just took you back in there and let you fall flat on your face in front of everyone you wish to impress?! I am helping you here. Now either accept it or I’ll get a stranger to come look after you - because you need it right now whether or not you’re happy about the fact.”

"Thank you, for everything." Magnus ruffled her hair affectionately before crossing to Thea and Zaria. "'It is bedtime for someone, the Princess has had enough partying for one night."

---

"I am glad you don't remember, I don't want you to remember any of it. I wish I could forget it."

---

"Took advantage of me?" She questioned quietly. "I'm not at risk from anyone doing that. Not here, surely."

(( Night night))

“I don’t trust anyone enough around here to guarantee safety. Just stop resisting my help, allow me to make you feel better.”

---

I hate that I put you all through that… you, the children… Kari and everyone…”

---

“No… no go sleep.” Zaria shook her head, reaching her hands out for her father, clinging on to him as Thea gently passed her over.

“You are up way past your bedtime, mišiću. It is time to say Goodnight.”

"It wasn't your fault, and had Lucian not come home at just the right time then things would be very different now." Conan whispered, resting his palm against her cheek. "If there is ever another war I am sending you East, with guards, somewhere it is peaceful so I know you will come home to us."

---

"Your mother is right, mouse." Magnus grinned, spinning in a slow circle as he held her - bouncing gently to the music. "Tomorrow we will celebrate just the three of us, but tonight I need to show everyone here how beautifully fierce your mother is."

---

Devika laughed quietly at that, slowly releasing his fingers so that he could continue to loosen the laces. "Fines. Fine."

---

"Wyatt! Are you in? I need to use your vertical privileges!" Florence sang as she pushed her way through the front door and into the kitchen. Placing a new hand carved utensil holder onto the counter top with a tired huff, slightly flushed from where she had carried it home from the town market.