Hope Falls

“Home… home…” Izsak mumbled, repeating it to himself for a few minutes before falling silent for even longer, eyes closing as he stilled.

---

“That’s a depressing way to look at it all, a game.”

---

“Karina - she said - you’re dead. You’re supposed to be dead.” Dagmar swallowed thickly as she took a step back, shaking her head.

“I can’t fly properly yet. Too small. Daddy will teach me.”

---

“You look handsome.” Isolde grinned as she leaned into Aodhän.

Sarika rested her palm against the side of his head and gently guided it in close, resting her cheek on top of his head and rocking gently with hin to give him a silent rhythm to focus on.

---

"That is the only way to stop yourself from going mad when you don't know if it is worth pulling a man or woman up on it when they slam your weight into you with such ferocity that you stumble. That is the only way to see it without losing your head when defending your rank could mean being bitten. We are nothing to any of these people, the wolf only cares for a rank of another wolf, Draven. When you lose it; when you make that shift in your head we turn into mice to play with. Even Søren came close during our fights. None of you scare me, but I am used to it."

---

"And you were suppose to save me, we were supposed to be friends." Florence laughed nervously. "You said I got to keep my human body if I left with you; didn't tell me that something as silly as an infection could make my heart stop though, did you?" Briefly she glanced to Aesira then and crouched down so she was at her height; "You made some air just there, maybe your dad needs to start those lessons early."

---

"I feel suffocated." Kael complained. "Why do I have to look smart? You two are the ones being all mushy."

"It's expected." Aodhän laughed, turning his head to kiss the top of Isolde's head before pulling the sleeves down on the jacket of his own outfit.

“Søren… he… he never hurt you did he?” Draven asked delicately. “He - he never mentioned snapping out in one of your fights.”

---

“Where are we?” Izsak whispered almost silently a long while later as he opened his eyes. “I - was with the healers a moment ago… but it wasn’t a moment ago was it? I - I did it again didn’t I? I went away…”

---

“You both look amazing, very handsome indeed.” Isolde chuckled as she took his hand once it was free. “Did you have the chance to finish your painting earlier, Kael?”

---

“I feel like we have a lot to talk about.” Dagmar whispered, still clearly uneasy.

“No, not yet daddy says. Says it will do more bad than good right now so I can’t do it!”

"In my room, in one of the old walk-in wardrobes." Sarika answered, matching his volume as she turned her head to kiss the top of his - still rocking subtly with him. "How are you feeling, Izzy?"

---

"No, no.. he never hurt me. He scared me a few times, he scared himself a lot more though." Matilda assured with a sad smile. "I appreciate the concern, I do and thanks for coming to my rescue but I can clean myself up, Draven. Honestly. I'm sure you have plenty to be getting on with."

---

Kael nodded his agreement. "It's drying, I'm going to show Ada when she gets home."

"She'll be very pleased with it;" Aodhän encouraged gently. "Every painting is better than the last, you are nurturing a talent." Adding, as he turned his head to kiss Isolde's cheek gently; "You look like the centre of everything, mesmerising."

---

"I'll take Aesira, see what food this place has to offer. If you and Florence want to..." Conan offered, reaching his hand out toward his daughter.

“I’m scared, Sar…” Izsak admitted cautiously. “I - blacking out like this. I don’t even know what the triggers are at this point, one minute I’m focussed and the next I’m coming to and sometimes it’s hours I just don’t know what’s happened because I went away in my head without realising… I’m dangerous like this. I need - you’re gonna have to put me in a cell until my brains fixed. I didn’t - I don’t think this happened when I was locked up with the Fae… maybe that’s how I need to live now…”

---

“Shit… I’m sorry, Tilly.” Draven gently kissed the top of her head. “I didn’t realise how hard it had always been for you, even with Søren… shit…”

---

“You don’t look too bad yourself.” Isolde chuckled, grinning at his kiss. Extending an arm out toward Kael so she could hug him.

---

“Oh, food!” Aesira nodded enthusiastically as she grabbed her fathers hand.

“I’m okay with Cass.” Dagmar nodded as she gently rocked with her baby, glancing at Florence and then around her to find a place to speak.

"You have been through hell, lovely. You have suffered in such horrific ways, and - and putting all of the pain aside you must have been so scared. Putting you in a cell is not going to help you feel safe again, I can speak to the healers and we can talk about getting you lavender, chamomile. We can place plants and herbs around that will ease you, but other than that we are going to ride this out. When your subconscious realises you are safe, hopefully all of this will ease but until then Draven and I will come to you whenever we are needed. After all you have gone through, you're going to be scared... that's okay." Sarika soothed, quiet for a little while before whispering; "Stay with Draven and I tonight. The three of us can hold each other."

---

"Stop it. You'll make me get all emotional like last time, you have a bad effect on me right now - take away my bravado and I don't like it. It's scary being vulnerable." Matilda laughed anxiously.

---

Florence motioned for her to follow and walked toward the palace. Stepping in through a workers door and leading her down the dark corridors until it opened onto a main hallway - pulling thr door open to her room a moment later.

---

"Can I go now?" Kael mumbled grumpily, trying to lean back from Isolde's hug with a quiet noise of disgust.

"Of course." Aodhän laughed quietly. "Be-"

"Behave myself, yeah yeah."

“I’m a danger… what if I hurt you? Or Eris? Or a kid…” Izsak shook his head, swallowing thickly. “I need to be chained to shift tonight anyway… just don’t release me in the morning, Sar. I can’t be allowed back ojt until my brain stops being so fucked…”

---

“I should’ve been taking care of you. I promised him I would… I just never realised you actually needed me to.” Draven murmured, smoothing her hair down.

---

“He’ll be walking soon… but he’ll only ever fall asleep on me or Conan… and Aesira prefers to climb on her dad because he’s more sturdy so more often than not I end up with him…” Dagmar said quietly as she smoothed her thumb over her sons cheek, glancing around, obviously wary of her Fae surroundings.

---

“Teenagers mm?” Isolde laughed as Kael walked away, grinning brightly.

"Your pyscho boyfriend pinning me against a wall once doesn't mean I need looking after, stop it." Matilda frowned, pushing his hands away gently. "You need to be with your wife right now, Draven. I heard her having the meltdown in her office earlier... she needs you."  

---

"Sshh," Sarika hushed softly, pressing her lips to the top of his head and running her hand up and down his arm gently. "Sshh, stop it now. You're working yourself up again. Just breathe."

---

"He's grown big." Florence whispered with a nod, lowering herself down to perch herself pn the edge of the bed. "You should... you can sit wherever you like."

[Hr)
"He loves the affectionate, even if he won't admit it." Aodhän laughed.

(( Night night))

“I know, and I love giving it to him, it’s lovely.”

---

“You need someone with you. You got hurt.”

---

“I thought it would be over when I got home.” Izsak cracked then, letting out a sob as he pressed his hands into his face. “I thought it would be over.”

---

“I’m okay, doesn’t hurt my back as much when I stand.” Dagmar shook her head with a small smile.

"Izzy, Izzy, Izzy." Sarika sang gently, curling herself around him; pressing her body as closely as she could to his so,that her grip remained tight. "You're going to get better, it's just going to take some time but you're not going through it alone. I'm here, Draven will be here too. You have a whole team of healers. A whole community. Come now, pick up your head... cry into me if you must but don't close yourself off."

---

"Hardly." Matilda scoffed.

---

"Whilst you were off playing mother, forgetting I existed I was being tormented by the Adair's." Florence answered cheerfully. "You never even asked them if I was with you, nor did Conan. Draven gleefully told me this as he slammed my face into a wall. Where the- were you?" She asked, self-censoring because of the baby.

“Don’t. Playing mother? Or being a mother to two small children who need me?.” Dagmar snapped then, back instantly up. “You and Cadoc went missing at the same time. When Kari didn’t get any indication that you were in danger… we assumed you’d run off together, and I wouldn’t have blamed you for it if you did. We sent people out to look, of course we did, but there was no trace of you and we knew that Cadoc knew how to make you both disappear if needed… I genuinely thought you’d run off to be happy. Karina managed to reach through the bond a few times and felt either neutrality or happiness.”

---

“I wish they’d just ended it long ago.” Izsak sobbed, choking himself up. “I can’t do this anymore Sar…”

---

“I’m sorry, if I upset you that night when I mentioned Søren… you’ve been off with me since.” Draven sighed deeply, gently shifting her to the bed as he stood up. “I’ll send someone to check on you soon, make sure you’re okay…”

"Don't do that, don't say things like that and make me feel bad before you leave." Matilda sighed, shuffling over to one side of the bed so there was doom for him to sit. Patting her hand lightly on the mattress, "Come on.. sit back down."

---

"You don't mean that." Sarika whispered, kissing the top of his head affectionately. "You can do this, and you will. You have to, because when we start saving the others I need them to look at you and see it's possible."

---

"Karina is either terrible at her job then or she lied to you." Florence growled lowly. "And you - that excuse I'm sorry but it just isn't good enough. It isn't enough. I am used to being left behind, but it is a different level of cruel when you promised me we were friends. At least no one else lied like that."

---

"It looks like your going to have to be healthy, Sira." Conan chuckled as they came across the table full of fruits, picking up a grape from one of the plates and taking a bite.

"Some of these are actually bad for you, the native ones." Kael mumbled as he came up behind them. "Those uh.. pointy looking ones, the diamond shaped berries taste exactly like a sweet dessert, coca beans mixed with a human strawberry."

---

Aodhän laughed quietly, kissing the top of her head and whispering; "So how much time must we actually spend with our guests before I get to sweep you into the bedroom."

“You clearly don’t want me here, I don’t want to overstay.” Draven frowned.

---

“I don’t think I can do this… I just don’t. I’m so tired.”

---

“No healthy for me!” Aesira grinned smugly then when she heard Kael, turning round and sticking her tongue out at her father.

---

“The Adair’s have witches in their back pocket. Despite the Witches claiming neutrality those two kingdoms do a lot for each other, and there’s a fair few witch defectors on Sarika’s side of the border. You could’ve been cloaked easily - their head Seer Matilda is also skilled enough to aid in that. So no, this is not as black and white as you have it set in your head. I genuinely believed you and your Fae had run off together somewhere, maybe even back to the human realm to be together free of Isolde and this place because I know how much you were hating it. You cannot tell me that you haven’t even considered running away?” Dagmar shook her head angrily then. “If I thought for one second you were where you were I’d have pushed for negotiations for your release, I wouldn’t have just left you there. I am sorry you suffered and I wish I could change it but I believed his leaning was of joke own accord, I truly did.”

---

“At least an hour my love, people have travelled far to see the man who’s managed to capture the Queens heart.” Isolde teased with a chuckle.

---

"None of that." Conan scolded, though it didn't quite come across as serious as it should have - his lips curling up into an amused smile.

Kael openly laughed, walking past them to pick up one of the fruits he described and offer it out to Aesira. "They say even selkies will give you a favour if you have a pouch of these to offer."

---

"To cast judgement, to try and figure out what makes me worthy." Aodhän grimaced, wrinkling his nose.

---

"Just a load of fucking excuses." Florence mumbled, swallowing thickly as she wrapped her arms around herself for comfort. "It hurts, Dagmar."

---

"I do, I really do I just feel like I am coming between you and Sarika more and more these days. You've been here with me much more than with her, I don't want to cause you any troubles, 'Ven."

---

"Then let's leave this dark closet, and get you to kine and Draven's bed. You can sleep, lovely, and then when you have rested you can be the strong man I know you to be."

“I admit that I shouldn’t have just settled with the thought that you were out there somewhere doing what you wanted, and we should’ve looked into it even if just to confirm my suspicions, but it isn’t because I don’t care. I’m sorry if it’s felt like that.”

---

“No, to see just how amazing you are that you’ve made me so happy, after so long.”

---

“What’s a sel-fie?” Aesira asked as she leaned over to take the fruit, rolling it over in her hands.

---

“She has been with Izsak, he’s responding better to her than he is with me, and we both want him comfortable. You’re not doing anything Tilly.”

---

“How long do I have until the moon is up?” Izsak whispered in defeat.

"Two or three hours." Sarika whispered. "Not long but... enough for you to get some semblance of rest."

---

Matilda sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest and staring ahead at the wall quietly. Shoulders tensing as her eyes became white, body becoming very very still.

---

"Selkie." Kael corrected with a laugh. "They're seafolk. They are the coolest things you'll ever see."

"They are dangerous." Conan frowned. "If everyone from other Kingdoms knows it then surely a fae boy should too."

"Fae heir." Kael corrected quietly.

---

Aodhän laughed quietly at that, leaning in to touch his forehead to hers affectionately. "Mm, I love you, Sol. You're the universe."

---

"I'm really angry at you." Florence mumbled, unsure what else to say. Turning her face away as her eyes gleamed with tears.

“Can you be angry at me whilst we hug? Because I’m really, really, glad you’re alive.” Dagmar whispered.

---

“I love you more.” Isolde grinned, kissing him deeply.

---

“What makes them dangerous? What do they do?” Aesira asked before tentatively biting a tiny bit off one of the fruits she was given.

---

“Sleep sounds good…” Izsak nodded, nodding as he glanced up at her.

---

“Okay, okay. You’re okay.” Draven moved to wrap an arm around her, holding her close.

Florence became quietly thoughtful for a few moments before letting out a sigh and nodding in acceptance. Though she didn't make a move toward her at all.

---

Aodhän kissed her back for a few minutes, groaning in distain as he forced himself to pull away. "Lets go and show our face then."

---

"Good choice." Sarika praised quietly, wiping the tears from his cheeks with her thumb before getting to her feet - offering him a hand up. "Come on, Izzy."

---

"I don't think they are," Kael mumbled. "Not if you are kind to them, they're just people thats all."

"Sirens."

"No, no sirens are different to selkies. It's like saying a troll and a knome are the same it is just uneducated." Kael turned his attention back to Aesira then, smiling widely as he whispered; "Selkies are shape-shifters. They are seals in the water, mostly, and they can shed their skin and become human on land. They're magical."

---

Matilda gasped as she came to, blinking repetitively until her eyes went back to normal. Moving a hand up to her nose just in time to catch the blood spot that dripped.

“Cause you off guard that didn’t it? You okay?”

---

Izsak gingerly took her hand and pulled himself up to follow her out.

---

“Why can’t they just always be people and live on land? Is the sea not too cold for them?” Aesira quizzed as she munched.

---

Dagmar moved an arm around Florence’s body, getting as close as she could with Cassius on her chest as she closed her eyes, breathing gently. “I really am glad you’re safe, so glad.”

---

“We can hide away later.” Isolde promised with a grin as she took his hand.

Sarika tentative left the room, walking slowly towards hers and Draven's bedroom and letting herself fall onto the bed; lifting the blankets up for him to get in with her. "Come on Izzy."

---

"The fae are going to attack us; it'll be during a storm, there will be a leak in the hallway and that will disguise the sound of their footsteps. It must be at night too, all of the torches were lit. I saw three of them, they moved like they were well trained."

---

"The sea is their home, where they are safe." Kael explained, reaching across and grabbing a berry for himself. "Like.. angels feeling at home in the sky, or me around the ancestors."

---

"I don't know if I'll be able to wait long." He grinned.

---

Florence leant into her, moving only one arm up to match the embrace half heartedly. Ducking her head down to bury her face against her shoulder.

“Shit. Shit!” Draven hissed through his teeth, raking his hands through his hair.

---

Izsak lay beside her, pulling her into his chest and wrapping his arms around her body, instantly relaxing into the mattress as he closed his eyes.

---

“I’ve not been in the sky with my wings… but my home is on top of a really really really really big rock and when you get to the bottom you can’t see my house because it’s in the clouds… does that count as the sky?!”

---

“I’m sure if needs must we can always go and return.”

---

“Do you need to talk about what happened?” Dagmar asked as she gently rubbed Florence’s back.

Kael laughed, nodding in agreement. "It does...  what's your name?"

---

"No, Isolde has been.. really nice since I got back, ridiculously so; I think being loved up is making her go soft on me."  Florence laughed quietly. "Where are your guards? I couldn't ever imagine you all coming here without being armed to the teeth."

---

"I think we've made ourself a plan." Aodhän hummed as they stepped back through the doors and outside; scanning the area below and raising an eyebrow as she spotted Kael and Aesira. "They are at a age where he appears so much older than her, but by the time she is of age they'll be in the same place mentally, hm?"

---

"It was only brief, that was all I saw. I'm sorry."

---

Sarika lifted her hand up to rest her palm against his cheek gently. "Sleep well, Izzy. I'll shift with you later, ask Draven too aswell. The three of us can hunt together, like before all of this world turned so crazy."

“We’re incognito.” Dagmar laughed softly. “We’ve got a few with us on our journey, but not many, we’ve been travelling, showing the kids things… Conan has been getting some time where he can just be him and not King. Spending time with the kids.”

---

“Aesira. Mama and daddy call me Sira.” Aesira grinned as she held out her hand, sticky from the fruit, mimicking her fathers greeting actions.

---

“Neither of them know what’s expected… so until then it’ll just be like this, easy and free, the way they interact. It’ll be hard for them to be friends for now whilst she’s still so young but you’re right - eventually they’ll be on the same page.” Isolde leaned against him as she watched them interact. “The only thing that could ruin all this is if Kael has a mating bond that snaps into place with another… but we’ll cross that bridge if we come to it mm?”

---

“Don’t be sorry. You’ve given us something more than what we had before. Once tonight is done with and everyone who’s turned is rested from their shift in the morning we’ll get to discussing it. Will you discuss with your sisters tonight to see if they saw anything additional?”

---

“You mean you want to keep an eye on me since I’ve not been for enough to shift the last few months?” Izsak chuckled weakly, moving his hand to smooth her hair.

"That'll be an advantage, but it isn't the main reason no. I - I shifted today against my will.. I had bad news on something that had to go my way and I just snapped." Sarika whispered. "That hasn't happened to me in a long time, it was terrifying. Life has been too busy these days to look after my wolf."

---

"I will. Are you going to be shifting tonight? Taking advantage of the whole community being able to give in to their instincts; the whole pack? I hear it's euphoric."

---

"The mating bond." Aodhän laughed humourlessly. "It is so rare to hear of it these days, I haven't met anyone for over a century who has found it."

---

"Sira... my names Kael." Kael grimaced at the sticky hand, taking her one clean finger and using that to shake her hand instead.

"Kael is a the next heir here, like you are a princess for our people." Conan added lightly as he watched.

"A princess? Oh." Kael frowned, taking a step back and giving a bow of greeting instead.

---

"Letting your daughter meet her future husband?"

“Conan wanted them to have a tentative introduction, see how they get on here, then next summer invite them Fae prince to ours for the season. He thinks if they see each other like that, it’ll be natural and easy for them. He’ll look at her as a little kid now, but eventually they’ll both be grown.”

---

“It’s okay, you don’t need to do that, not a Princess here.” Aesira shook her head before frowning at her father. “You said I could just be me whilst we weren’t at home…” she murmured.

---

“As long as Kael doesn’t become the one in a million it’ll all work out smoothly.”

---

“That’s not good, Sar.” Izsak frowned, pressing his lips to her forehead.

---

“I need to see if my body can handle it - my back. I’m hoping if I shift it won’t split.”