Hope Falls

"Come... come here..." Conan encouraged, getting to her feet and wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her into a hug. "He is young, but he is tough."

---

"Oh, hello." Florence greeted softly, moving to the edge of her seat as she squeezed his hand tightly. "I went out looking for you, you know. I didn't find you, but.. I looked. Do you need a drink of water?"

“I’m okay, thank you.” Wyatt shook his head slightly. “You fuss.”

---

Ada sobbed into his shoulder, utterly heartbroken over the thought of not seeing Dmitri again.

"Vampires are stubborn fuckers, next to impossible to kill. The last war Dmitri's leader threw god knows how many parties during it. You have to be tough to survive as one of them, they aren't as fluffy as we are." Conan soothed quietly. "If it is true, which remember we don't know if it I'd, then I am sure he is going to be just fine. You must trust me."

---

"I do fuss," She agreed quietly, moving one of her hands over to cup it against his cheek. "How long ago was the first war? I don't remember what the Guardian's told me. Can you tell me?"

---

Sarika quietly stepped into her and Draven's shared tent a few hours later, calling softly as she did; "Hey? Are you here... the sun is going down."

“What if they’re not bother for ransom and they just kill him for a small victory? What if they don’t have him because they disposed of him already?”

---

“Matilda met with Thea… if we surrender and give up the first group we sent to kill the Vampire healers she is willing to give us the names of who killed our boy… and the location of his bones so we can bring him home.” Draven murmured from where he was sat in the middle of the tent with his back against the post, head on his knees. “Thea forced blood down her throat, so if anything happens to her for the next day - I lose her permanently… and she considers me a cruel beast because we sent a team after Conan’s heirs…” he moped, miserable.

---

“You’re not satisfied with the current war, you want to know about the others?” Wyatt raised an eyebrow, opening up his eyes then with a coughed laugh. “I’m not sure exactly, it’s been so long. Seven hundred years? Time blurs.”

"Seven hundred... wow." Florence whispered, studying his face with quiet admiration as her thumb brushed against his cheek bone affectionately. "I mean, only three wars in that amount of time, you're all doing rather well."  

---

"Izsak got life back to him today, he wanted to feel through sex and I allowed it because...  he was talking and moving." Sarika updated quietly, swallowing thickly as she sat herself down next to him and leant into him. "I asked him if we could talk afterwards, about anything - it didn't have to be deep and he said he wanted more. I told him no. He pulled me on top of him, I moved away and said no again. Then he was screaming at me... so..." She shrugged. "I am going to step back from him for awhile. He scared me a little bit today."

---

"Then we'll make sure we get his body so you can put him to rest, so you can mourn and we can honour him."

“Only three wars of this scale, involving us all. There have been frequent minor bickerings.”

---

“He - I’ll kill him. I’ll fucking kill him.” Draven hissed, quickly getting to his feet and storming from the tent.

---

“His body?” Ada choked on the words as she began to sob into Conans shoulder again.

"Draven, no..." Sarika called after him quietly. "If you wish to have words with him tomorrow than you can but tonight can we just be sad together?"

---

"I'm sure there won't be one," Conan whispered. "But... but if there is; if your worrying about that then..."

---

"That's a lot for one person to live through isn't it?" Florence sympathised. "How have you managed to keep going through it all?"

“I just…have? What other option is there?”

---

“Please Sir if I - if we get out of this alive… please let me be with him?”

---

“Words?! I will kill him. He is alive because you allow him to be. He is your lover because you allow him to be. Not because he tries to force you. How dare he. I’ll rip his throat out! That bastard!”

((Night))

Sarika got to her feet and closed the distance between them, slipping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him against her. "I am angry at Matilda for making you feel so terrible about yourself, too. But.. we both know that they are struggling - both of them. I know she doesn't mean harm to you at her heart, you know that Izsak means no harm either. Come, love, let's just sink into each other for a moment."

---

"You can be with him but running away for months is something I can't guarantee I have already gone over this with you." Conan sighed tiredly.

---

"You are remarkably resilient." Florence praised softly, hesitatantly leaning in and pressing her lips to his forehead tenderly. "Though I do have bad news to give you. Not only have your wounds been bathed with herbs, so the closest you can have to a 'fancy woman bath', you have also had ointment and been 'moistured' with herbs too." She leant back with a soft gasp, a giggle following it. "Very, very feminine of you. How horrific."

“I’m going - going to go reach out to my contacts to see if they’ve heard anything, can confirm anything…” Ada whispered miserably as she pulled away.

---

“Oh the horror.” Wyatt rolled his eyes with a small laugh before closing them again.

---

“Mean no harm? He tried to make you sleep with him Sarika! That’s not no harm! He’s disgusting! I’ll have his fucking throat out for it!”

"Okay, well... we're here for you. Myself, Dagmar... everyone in camp." Conan whispered, taking a step back when she pulled away. "I'll try and make contact with the witches as soon as we are done here, request proof of life and.. and see what I can negotiate. We may have to contact the Fae too, they have a vested interested in Dmitri too so they may help us. Magnus... Magnus might not be able to do much for us."

---

"Laughter is good," Florence laughed quietly too, brushing her fingertips through his hair. "How are you feeling? You look better than you did a few hours ago."

---

Sarika shook her head, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to pull him into a hug. "He didn't even realise, and I told him off. Thank you, I appreciate it - I really, really do but it's handled."

“If you tell Isolde ask her not to tell Kael. He’s young and brash and eager to prove himself with this war, he’ll - he’ll do something stupid. He and Dmitri are close, he looks up to him. I wouldn’t want the Prince to do anything silly.”

---

“Just exhausted. Eleanor said it’s the blood loss, it’ll take a few days to recover and then I can get back out there. I don’t particularly want to be here but that woman can be scary when she wants to be and I don’t fancy an argument right now.”

---

“Didn’t realise? That’s bullshit I - “ Draven growled in frustration; sighing deeply when she enveloped him. “You need to end it with him after this. It is too far.”

"Noted." Conan whispered. "The first stop is speaking to the witches though, getting proof of life and.. and well I can't predict how all of this is going to go Ada but we'll do our best to bring him home to you."

---

"I've told him he is going back, he said he didn't want Matilda to go with him and I've told him after his behaviour I wouldn't be going so he'll be going alone with guards instead." Sarika whispered. "He never would have done anything to me. He's just.. finally feeling."

---

"You need the rest. You would have died if no one would have found you."

“That’s you declining to end it with him isn’t it?” Draven muttered in annoyance, though didn’t press the issue as he wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head.

---

“He never chose any of this. Being here… he was turned against his will.” Ada said sadly. “He should be home enjoying his twilight years… not here in the middle of yet another war..”

---

“Ah but I didn’t. As I never do. I somehow manage to be alright in the end.”

"I think he ended it with me," Sarika chuckled shakily. "I- I don't know exactly what - what happened. I'm a little-" She cut herself off before she said the word 'shaken', not wanting to admit it so openly. Instead she just nuzzled into the crook of his neck and closed her eyes.

---

"If he was doing that, he never would have met you though, hm? Things... The Fates decide things for reasons, not always kind of fair ones but we have to try and see the good in what happens or else we'd be driven mad."

---

"That is luck rather than judgement," Florence whispered. "I'd miss you."

“The Fated e are proving themselves more cruel by the day.”

---

“I get he is grieving but it doesn’t give him the right to - “ Draven stopped and cut himself off with a shake of his head. “I’d be a hypocrite wouldn’t I? Saying it… some of the shit I did after he died…“ he sighed in defeat. “We weren’t the best people to be around were we?”

---

“You’d be fine Seer.”

"I didn't say I wouldn't be, I said I would miss you." Florence hummed quietly. "No one else would pretend that I actually managed to sneak up on them and knock them down when I was feeling deflated during training. No one else would even notice I needed that kind of win, however fake it was."

---

"Wenwere absolutely terrible people," Sarika agreed quietly. "Dark and callous and cruel. So we need to let things slide with Izsak, he is starting to feel which is good.. he.. surprised me but we can't hold that against him. I'm glad he feels comfortable enough to lash out. I'll give him until tomorrow and then check in on him but.. enough about him, enough about me. You... I am sure Matilda didn't mean to make you feel so bad about yourself, Drav. Do you need me to talk to her for you?"

---

"They are, they always have been. Them and the Guardian's."

“No. She understands. I know she understands. She’s just feeling guilty. Either way… she’s not sure about Thea telling the truth.”

---

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

---

“Heartless bastards”.

"You know Dmitri best, don't you? So.. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that the bastard must have enough grit to get through whatever is happening - you both faced off against wolves to save a fae Prince afterall. That takes something special."

---

"Of course you don't," Florence laughed softly, moving forward to the edge of her seat so she could more comfortably take a hold of his hand. "Pigs have sprouted wings and learned to fly too, did you know that?"

---

""I don't.. I don't think we should talk about what Thea has offered yet. It is too late and we are tired. You look sad, I feel sad too... we just need to hold each other right now."

“I can’t not think about it Sar… I -“ Draven swallowed, shaking his head.

---

Ada nodded, moving to wipe at her face.

---

“I bet it was one of the Fallen that committed the sin for that to happen.”

"Have you ever been there? I have." Florence grimaced. "Horrible place."

---

Sarika leant back to lift her hands up and cup his face with her palms. "I- I want him home Draven but even if Thea is telling us the truth, how could we justify handing over the wolves we instructed to kill that healer? Send them to their deaths for doing nothing other than following orders we gave them... the others would never listen to us ever again."

---

"It's going to be okay." Conan assured lightly.

“I can justify it easily, I want my son home and fuck everyone else.”

---

“I have a few times. It wasn’t… always as it is now. They were cordial with the rest of us. The current family got into power before the first Great War and then refused to even be neutral to help pace everyone. Selfish.”

---

“Thank you Sir for taking the time to tell me personally.”

"I can't.." Sarika whispered sadly. "It'll be a death sentence for us though, the armies will fall apart if they think they can't trust us and then before we know it... before we know it we'll have our heads parading around on a spit. It just.. it isn't a viable deal."

---

"Zero was a puppy when I met him, eager to prove himself. He would have done fine as a King but his father is a cruel bastard and his sister was.. fine when she was in the human world but a hysterical bitch when it came to hers and Zero's titles." Florence whispered. "My relation with them all was... complex. They didn't like it when I pointed out how morally shit situations were and they refused to see anyone else's view."

---

"You're an integral part of the team, Ada. One of the best. You deserve to be told by me."

“Then we find a way to take her and we torture the information out of her.” Draven deadpanned. “She snapped earlier, lost her control with Matilda when she force fed her. She’s weak, mentally fragile. We have a Witch break her mind. We get the information we need and it’ll kneecap Magnus whilst we’re at it.”

---

“Ridiculous name for an heir. He was never going to be King. You do not name your child the epitome of nothingness and put them on the throne. That family has never been concerned with their people, just what they can do for them. It’s why their land is in such a state.”

---

“Just a diplomat Sir.”

"Okay, okay that sounds like a good method." Sarika whispered softly with a nod. "We do that, but we aren't punishing any of our soldiers for being loyal to us."

---

Florence laughed quietly, humming in agreement. "It is like naming a child something like 'Seymour' isn't it? Just.. " She shuddered.

---

"No."