Hope Falls

"We'll be in a much better position when we have our Seer back, not knowing what has been happening with the other Kingdoms had been frustrating. Not knowing what our own people are plotting." Aodhän mumbled, glancing away from Kael to look behind them at where Iszak had been tied to a tree. "Everything is in place for this to go smoothly."

---

"The girl can hear you," Florence hummed back with a laugh. "I know people often say their partners are whipped but you two take it to a new level, I'm impressed."

"You touch him and I'll help Isolde burn what's left of your stupid kingdom." Florence growled lowly, "He is too good to be associated with you two freaks."

"You behave as if you had a torturous time with us." Sarika laughed in amusement. "What we do, or don't do to Raffetry is irrelevant besides. You won't be seeing him again."

---

"We should have been late like they are, I hate waiting." Aodhän grimaced. "Kael, come here."

"But-" Kael began to complain, grimacing when Aodhän narrowed his eyes at him. Scaling up the hill to join his father and Isolde; "What?"

"You'll be meeting the Adair's - wolves. This'll be their first time meeting you too, so just... be grown up, OK?"

"Do I have to talk to them?" He frowned, lifting a hand up to rest his palm against his neck to try and self-soothe.

"No, no. Only if-" Aodhän began before grimacing, ruffling his hair gently. "Only if they speak to you, and you feel confident enough to. Standing tall and quiet though, that's the best strategy."

---

Florence narrowed her eyes at them, closing her eyes for a few moments, only opening them when she heard Sarika muse.

"Ah; there they are."

"Do I have to talk to them?" He frowned, lifting a hand up to rest his palm against his neck to try and self-soothe.

"No, no. Only if-" Aodhän began before grimacing, ruffling his hair gently. "Only if they speak to you, and you feel confident enough to. Standing tall and quiet though, that's the best strategy."

---

Florence narrowed her eyes at them, closing her eyes for a few moments, only opening them when she heard Sarika muse.

"Ah; there they are."

"Oh they've brought Kael, he's tall now." Florence whispered to herself as her horse stopped beside the guard she was attached to. Standing up in the stirrups to get a better look, only lowering back down when the guard cleared his throat in warning.

"The have to come closer if they want their Seer." Sarika mumbled, dismounting her dapple grey mare and taking a few steps closer to the border. "I hope you've not been waiting too long."

Aodhän took a deep breath, squeezing Kael's shoulder and commanding quietly; "Hands at your side, no fidgeting."

Kael mumbled a quiet; "Sorry." as he dropped his hand from his neck and straightened up. Looking toward Isolde for guidance.

""It's irrelevant." Sarika mumbled in response to Draven before calling over to Isolde. "Are you going to come closer so that we can speak without straining out voices? We have the Seer, do you have who we were expecting?"

Kael took a breath before stepping in line with Isolde with faux confidence, eyes flitting back to watch Aodhän who stayed a step behind.

(( If you want - and by that I mean; yes please! ))

"And I see you have brought a child with you, rather inappropriate don't you think?" Sarika mused, casting her gaze down to Kael. "I was going to ignore you until you stepped up to the Queen's side as you have. You have spirit." Slowly she reached her hand over the border, fingernails going beneath Kael's chin to guide his head and study his face; smirking when she spotted Aodhän tense from the corner of her eye.

"We wouldn't bring him to exchange prisoners of war at such a young age, that would be wreckless. Anything could have happened, they are far too fragile; mind and body." Sarika retorted with a wicked grin as she moved her hand back away from Kael. Clicking her fingers as the guard dragged Florence from the force and dragged her rough closer to the border. "Here is the Seer. Unharmed, how she has remained unharmed I will not know, she is infuriating."

Florence cried out as she was dragged from the horse, landing awkwardly on her foot. Fighting against the grip of the guard before spitting in Sarika's direction.

"Fuck you, flea-ridden mongrel!" Florence screeched at Draven then, nostrils flaring in anger. Wholloping her head backwards into the face of the guard who held her when he heard him chuckle; closing her eyes at the pain it caused her.

"Seer." Aodhän called across the border. "Have decorum, and watch the language with the Prince present."

Sarika let out a slow breath of irritation, though she let her shoulders sag to try and give it the appearance of boredom. "Let her return to them." She commanded, barely glancing over her shoulder for a moment before her attention turned to Izsak.

Florence rubbed at her wrists as the chains were released, hesitantly stepping across the border and standing behind Isolde.

Kael had tensed when Izsak had been brought out, his hand wandering to the bark on his arms to anxiously pick as he stared at the state of the man in silent horror - Aodhan having managed to keep him well enough away on their journey to the border go stop him from looking properly

"You took your time," Florence whispered, eyes like daggers as she watched Draven on cautiously. "Some kind of punishment to show me I could have been placed somewhere worse?"

Kael silently done as told, turning on his heel to return back to his father who held the reigns of the horse steady for him to get on. Aodhän quietly praising; "You did well,"

Sarika's jaw twitched when she heard the thud, turning her head to watch the guards with Izsak for a moment before turning her back to walk after them. Reaching her hand out to curl her fingers around his hand and squeeze tightly; "Everyone will rejoice when they know you have returned home."

"You had to give them fake body parts, play with their emotions?" Florence countered quietly enough so only she could hear. Watching as everyone got on their horses until she could identify a spare one for herself. "I saw it, in a vision. They are going to find out eventually, they pull you up on it in Magnus' dining hall one winter."

---

Sarika sadly walked back to her own horse, pulling herself into the saddle and reaching her hand across to try and take Draven's. "See, they didn't try anything."

"What you had to? You'll almost make me think that you genuinely care." Florence snorted, getting up onto the horse once she spotted it. "You'll make me blush."

---

"What is your intuition telling you?"

"I feel too tired to overthink it, the Fae bitch will have a nasty surprise when the girl loses if and shifts. If we are lucky her first shift will do some damage."

---

Florence grimaced, mumbling a quiet; "I'm sorry. I'm tired and... concerned for a friend I made, they didn't give me a chance to say goodbye just dragged me out. I hate them. They don't have one redeeming quality, at least you have a fucking heart sometimes."