Hope Falls

“Mates are not the be all and end all of love and its bounds Kael.” Isolde let go of Aodhän’s hand then, to reach for Kael’s. “Mates are not always happy together. It is not always love that develops. Sometimes it’s nothing more than a pull. What you felt for Fiadh was the purest love there is. First love. And it not being mandated by the ancestors does not make it any less.”

"I know that, I know and arriving to Wyatt's home with him to just witness them argue rather than be.. slightly happy felt like the ancestors were just being cruel." Kael lowered his gaze to watch the table.

"Hawk and Florence have always bickered like crones, even when you were young and before their bond had clicked into place. It is no message from anyone, you are being dramatic." Aodhän scoffed.

((( Do you want to post for the others? If so, do you want me to post first? )(

“Mating bonds are there for when the two would have never glanced at each other in that way otherwise, because the ancestors needed them together for whatever reason and couldn’t trust them to do it on their own because there would be no connection where they’d just click. In my belief - whether or not that means anything to you.” Isolde took his hand and squeezed it gently. “You and Fiadh didn’t need that push. You took to one another instantly. You didn’t need a bond to tell you it was good, necessary.”

((Can do))

Karina lay bleary eyed in the bed in the healing quarters, too exhausted to even flinch away as one of Devika's acolytes peeled off the bandage from her head to check her injury. Having opened her eyes for the first time since the fall only an hour earlier.


Sullivan stood in the doorway of his room, closed cupped hands being used to rub the sleep from the corners of his eyes with a yawn. Demeanour changing entirely however, almost bouncing on the tips of his toes when he spotted his father's boots in the door. Taking in a deep breath to yell excitedly; "Dad!"

---

"You make it sounds cold."

"Bonds are nothing more than the universe trying to force you into something you don't really want, something that benefits everything but perhaps not the individual. It is a calculated slight of hand from powers that we don't get to fight with."

"But I have always believed... and Indira affirmed it..."

"You are both young, full of hopeful romance even if you claim not to be."

“You and Fiadh did not need a bond to love. Most people do not. For all I have only recently experienced it, I have been surrounded by love my whole life. None of it was from a mating bond. And none of it was any less. You…” Isolde gave him a soft smile, “You love your stories and your ballads and the epic romance of this life. And I know you wanted to believe that you and Fiadh were a mated pair worthy of the books. But the truth is, people will write about her anyway. Because you loved her anyway, with or without a bond. What you had wasn’t less worthy of any of that celebration just because the ancestors did not mandate it.”

"It made me...." Kael wrinkled his nose, lowering his gaze to watch the floor. "It has been so long since the world closed in like that. I thought I was fixed."

“None of us are fixed sweetheart. We are not meant to be perfect paintings to hang. We have all experienced loss, and pain. We have all done things we wish we could undo. Things we are not proud of. Things we had to do that we hate ourselves for but would not change it anyway. You took a couple of steps back, sapling. But that does not negate the hundreds you have taken forward. You are doing well. You’ve taken a knock back, but it’s okay sapling. You will be okay.”

"I very rarely see you step backwards, and you are open compared to..." Kael cast a glance towards Aodhän and swallowed. "It feels as if all I do is talk of emotion, compared to you both."

"We wouldn't ever let you be around things like that." Aodhän frowned, "What kind of parenting would that be? What kind of... protectiveness is that. You would not allow your sister, at her age, to see you in weakness?"

"I - No... No."

"It is exactly the same."

(( Night night ))

“Mor looks more like Síofra than any portrait will ever show. And sometimes it whips the air from my chest. She will smile, or her hair will catch the light in a certain way and sometimes I have to physically restrain my mouth to stop myself from screaming because it hurts so badly.” Isolde gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “It doesn’t mean I love Mor any less, it just means that there are parts of me that are still sore from losing my first baby. Sometimes things will never truly be fixed Kael, they scar our soul. But scars show that we have kept going. A scar is formed because the body heals over things, but it leaves us a small reminder of what was. You will never forget Fiadh. Your soul will not let you. She will never stop being with you. Síofra will never stop being with me. We will accumulate more loss no doubt. And taking those steps backward when the hurt surfaces is absolutely fine… as long as we move forward again when we’ve had a rest from the set back.

Kael sat in silent, contemplative thought. His gaze lowering onto the bowl in front of him, eyes going from one fruit to another to try and find something else to focus on. After several minutes, he questioned, voice barely over a whisper; "So when are we leaving for the East?"

“Three weeks, it’ll be safe to go by then.”

"Cavaughn and his team will be coming with us. Hawk will be remaining here to focus on the castle grounds, your mother and sister. We will have nothing to worry about, and by the time we return we shall have solid alliances in the East and even more people will be eager for you to take the crown."

"That will be soon, won't it? Ada told me that too." Kael chuckled. "I hope it is something that the two of you having been speaking about, planning behind my back because I dread to think of any other possibility."

---

Eris sat at a table in front of the window in her and her parents quarters, dressed in pants and a loose, untucked shirt as opposed to the delicate dresses she wore when outside. Her tongue stuck out slightly in concentration as she moved a knight chess piece on the board towards her fathers pieces - the move clumsy, more guess-work then strategy.

“All the talks we have had about it; if you have been in the castle then you have been included. He’s not new information that we have been hoping for a smooth takeover.” Isolde assured. “Ideally one of the women from the east will take your fancy and you’ll be wed before you return home. We shall have our own ceremony here of course. But it is not something that is guaranteed - and if none of the women are for you then we shall start the process again when you are ready when you are back. And then once you are settled with your wife we can look at coronating you. But none of this is going to be rushed Kael, I promise… Not just for you either. This has been my life for the last few centuries. I won’t be able to just let go of the reins, you know what I am like.” She laughed softly. “We will both need easing into our new roles. So I promise… it won’t just be thrust on you.”

"I don't feel nervous, I'm not worried." Kael leant back in his seat and raised an eyebrow at her. "It sounds like you are though. The two of you has been easing me in since I was strong enough to be able to understand it. There has been very little of growing up where I wasn't told how it would effect the future. It is all normal."

“Admittedly less nervous knowing the child I’m carrying is not a boy.” Isolde sighed softly, tapping at the table. “People would think a son may be cause for change in the succession even though I wouldn’t have entertained it. And through Nerissa you were always in line. But another daughter means the chances of anyone using either of your sisters to questions your place is slim. Other than that, it is not that I am nervous handing off to you in particular… I would always be apprehensive retiring after so long.” She added with a wry smile. “But it will all come together just fine.”

"I wouldn't be angry at you, if Ada got it wrong or I.. misinterpreted. If it was a son, and the people would rather him then me." Kael lowered his gaze, inspecting his hands quietly to have something to focus on. "Disappointed, yes but..."

"It wouldn't happen," Aodhän interuppted with a shake of his head. "Your story has been moulded perfectly, set up expectjonally well for them to rejoice when your time comes. The sickly boy turned Prince, whom almost succumbed to the wasting. Who looked upon the world through roses despite the world being full of war and death. The boy Prince who has turned into the man who saved the Kingdom from it's tyrant. There are very few people who have a bad thing to say of you, Kael. Not amongst our people, not in other Kingdoms on our continent as far as it has been reported. You and I will go to the East, you will work your charm there and make them all soft at your feet without even knowing how and then return with a wife, hopefully, but with even more allies at the very least."

Kael's shoulders tensed, mouth forming a contemplative line. "You are being nice..."

“You are my son. My firstborn is no longer here, which means it is you in line to the throne. There are no arguments I would allow from anyone. Even by birth you are still in the line of succession. Your father is right - the people would not want anyone else but you. It would be the stuffy fools from court who would be whining about it, and I have no doubt the ones that complained about it would be the same men, or sons of, the ones who didn’t like the fact that I ascended instead of your grandfather when my father died. The Crown has been yours since I named you my heir - me birthing a son would just add a few arguments into the fold with others, but it would never change anything.” Isolde assured. “You have gone out there and befriended the people, you have done far more outreach with them than I ever have in my time - to my own shame. You have fought for them. It is them that matter at the end of the day, and it is you who they would want to see if it came down to a choice between you and an infant. As for you being suspicious of your fathers niceties… There is nothing to not be nice about.” She laughed softly. “Everyone wins with this trip you’re about to make. You will get to travel and have the experiences you wished for…”

"And what does he win?" He raised an eyebrow at Isolde, cocking his head towards his father to indicate who he was referring to.

"A break from your sisters incessant demands to teach her how to craft her own flower species and crowns of foliage. A break from having to pull various thorns from fingers and pulling hair out of cakes she insists I eat." Aodhän listed, voice warm.

"Mm, and what do you win, mother?"

“A pregnancy where I do not need to worry if your father will catch me lifting my own teacup and insist he can do it for me.” Isolde chuckled as she glanced in Aodhän’s direction.

"Resting is a forgein concept to you, but not our sapling - daughter." Aodhän corrected, hand moving to rest his palm against Isolde's stomach gently. "Do not fall in love Kael, you became lucky with Fiadh and how she listened to you. It won't happen again."

“If you wanted an obedient wife I wish you luck with number three.” Isolde snorted, resting her hand over his with a faint smile.

"I am too old to start on that kind of quest in life, I will put up with you, I suppose." Aodhän snorted his laugh, brushing his thumb against the fabric of her dress. "I am too accustomed to the Prince title now to give it up, too accustomed to royal quarters. To down step back to lord, my back would not forgive me."

"This is conversation I don't normally have to witness, can we keep it that way." Kael wrinkled his nose in embarrassment. "Be in love in private."

“We are having a few moments together before you both leave me for what could be a year, hush.” Isolde ordered in jest. “I shall need your help organising things before we leave Kael. It is a long journey you are to be making, and we will have to ask the ancestors for their protection, blessings. We have two weeks to organise festivities for the days before you leave - I am tasking that to you.”

"The only difference between crossing to the East is the ocean waves and the... tension between us and Baldruun. I think perhaps it should be Lucian Zaretsky asking his God that Kenna and I don't bump into one another again because without him to keep us in check then I may not able to contain myself if we bump into one another."

Aodhän shook his head, opening his mouth to speak but being cut off by Kael's raised eyebrows and hands up in surrender.

"Only joking. Relax."

“You do not need to pray for that, the girl is a half breed, she wouldn’t be stupid enough to entertain herself around Baldruun when almost the entirety of the Eastern dignitaries are there. You know their attitudes towards her kind over there. If you run into Lady Zaretsky just ensure she is not the bride you bring back, either way. I would be lying if I said I haven’t had nightmares about you knocking on my door one day to ask for forgiveness rather than permission regarding a woman you’d just skipped off to the Heartwood to marry.”