Hope Falls

“Of course Sir.” The young guard nodded, guiding Thea into Magnus’ embrace before turning and heading off toward the kitchen.

---

“If you see lights in peoples eyes then I think maybe it is you who needs the healing, Devi.”

---

“It seems the diet is varied… horses, livestock… now Angels.”

Devika scooted forward on her seat, leaning forward so her arms could wrap around his shoulders - the embrace as firm as she could be whilst giving caution to his back. Brushing her nose against the hair near his ear affectionately.

---

"How long until it will be our people? And... if it is the same creature then how many of these things are we dealing with?"

---

"You are terrible." Magnus scolded quietly as he walked into their quarters, supporting her weight until the door was closed behind them. "That performance was terrible."

“It worked well enough that he helped and it gave Kari time to go see Emmett. It was necessary.”

---

Lucian put the glass down on the table as he moved to embrace Devika in return, one arm around her waist and the other on the back of her head.

---

“Hopefully the Seers will be able to alert us if anything like that were to happen. But I’m unsure as they haven’t so far. It’s definitely unusual.”

"Necessary, yes, I imagind so but wise?" Magnus shook his head, falling back onto the sofa. "How was she?"

---

"Conan will always find an excuse for you to stay because he loves you, and because you being here gives him more time with his family. Dagmar is well now, the kingdom is stable and I know as much as it will wound your ego to hear but things will not descend into chaos if you went back to the ocean, to the East." Devika whispered. "You are too special to lose your spirit, I won't allow it. You miss them - your Urchin and your healer, your daughter, the rest of your crew. Of course you do, they're your family, they are your home and that's okay, Luci, you have to know that - it is okay to miss them, it is okay to want to go home. It is okay to act on it and go."

---

"We can't sit and wait for something to happen. You should have seen this creature, it was.. there aren't words."

“Broken. And the thought of everyone seeing her as broken is making it even worse. To think that nobody has faith in her anymore… she just wanted to see him. I earned her what it would mean, and she wanted to anyway. If I were in her position and someone stopped me from seeing you? I’d have them all killed…”

---

“No. No it’s not.” Lucian sighed, pulling away. “I’m done talking about this now, Devika. I’m not going anywhere.”

---

“I’ve got scholars looking at texts, pulling them up from the archives beneath the palace, to try deduce what the creatures could be.”

((Night))

Devika loosened her arms so he could pull back, lifting up her drink to sip just as the doors to the room were slammed open - the sound reverberating as the wall behind them was hit.

Karina stood in the centre of the doorway, face sheet white and eyes wide and wild as tremors wracked through her body. "Devika, where the fuck is his wings? You better tell me they are here, being prepared to bury him. They better be here! Do you understand?!"

"Shit. Karina-"

---

"It is natural to want to see him but if there is barely any of him to see. Thea we haven't seen him yet, how could you be sure it wouldn't be too much for her? We don't even know what to expect."

“Kar - Lady Aster.” Lucian greeted as he stood, grimacing at her words. “They - tjeu let you see? I’m so sorry. They - they shouldn’t have done that.”

---

“People treating her like she was porcelain was going to break her, Magnus… she needed it to be her own choice she made. Not one made for her. Do you ever think about the fact that as Seers we are glorified slaves? We have no choice in where we go or what we do to work. We are told what our role is and that we must perform it or we face consequence of punishment or death. Often our children are taken from us when we have them, we are property of whoever we are assigned to. That is slavery, as well kept as some Seers are. A bird in a gilded cage is still a prisoner…” Thea moved to sit down as she spoke, the subject heavy on her mind. “And forbidding a wife to see her husband before his burial. The most basic of rights - saying goodbye to a loved one… it’s just adding to that knowledge that she is not truly her own. Not free. Owned.”

"They did not! The only person who actually cares about what I need helped me sneak in - it is disgusting - isn't it? How I had to sneak like a child into a room to say goodbye to my own husband! I don't know if I am more angry at that or the fact that you. You!" She closed the space quickly; footsteps heavy as she pinned Devika into cowering against the bar with her stare. "You lied to me, little girl. You kept infomation from me that you knew, you knew was important! We spent years in that human world and I confided. Where is his wings?!"

Devika's breathing became ragged in her throat from fear, trying to move off of the tall chair to escape but not having the space with Karina towering over her. Diverting her gaze to the side to try and muster up a half truth, eventually settling for a quiet; "Wherever he is now, he doesn't need his win-" Her eyes widened, head snapping the other direction as Karina's palm made contact with her face.

---

Magnus rightness his shoulder, leaning forward on the sofa and turning his knees so he was facing her. "It isn't like that, that wouldn't have been anywhere close to the reason..." His voice trailed as the words sunk in, breathe shaky on his exhale. Wrapping an arm around her waist to try and pull her against him, "I see how it could feel like that, T. I see."

“I am your wife. And I know you don’t see me as such, and I know you never have. But it doesn’t change that for years I did feel that way when the Guardians first took me. We appear pampered, we are revered, sure. But none of it is our choice. We have so few of those to make - the choice to see her husband or not should’ve been given to her. Where I can give one of my sisters a choice I will. For all intents and purposes, Karina is Conans property. And he is treating her as such right now - whether or not he believes he is doing it as a friend. First and foremost he is her master.” Thea leaned into him, closing her eyes. “She won’t have thought about all that in years. That she is not a person in the grand scheme of things. But this is such a time to be reminded…”

---

“Karina! I ordered her to lie. Take your anger out on me! I told them all to lie to you because I fucking know what it means to be without your wings.” Lucian moved to stand in front of Devika, taking Karina’s wrist and moving it away, dropping it as soon as the women were separated so she wouldn’t think he was restraining her. “I know what it means to lose them - I know what it meant to him. And I knew what it would mean to you, if you knew. So if you need to take your anger out on someone, if someone needs to be hit - take it out on me because I am the one who gave the orders.”

Karina screeched in frustration as Lucian got between them, hands already lifting to strike him as he spoke. Though the slaps to his chest became weak almost as soon as permission had been granted, her knees giving way from beneath her as her fingers gripped the front of his top, choking on her sobs; "Where are they?! We have find them - he can't be buried without them with him. He can't- All we had to bury you was your wings, D- Daniel ha- had his but they were ruined. Em- Emmett needs his. Emmett needs his! It's happening again, it keeps happening over and over again, Lucian!" She wailed, the words a broken scream.

Devika let out a shuddering breath of relief when a body was between them, rolling her shoulders back to gain composure. Blood spotting on her cheek from Karina's nails, a small bruise already forming next to her eye.

---

Magnus leant in, pressing his lips to the top of her head. "Did you ask her if she would be coming home with us after he had been laid to rest? That is a choice that we can offer her."

“They’re gone… I’m sorry.” Lucian said sincerely as he caught her, his arms going around her waist to keep her upright as her knees gave way. “He would’ve died with them though. We’ve been able to determine that he was dead before any… destruction… happened. So he died with them. They were still part of him, okay? They were there when he left.”

---

“She said no - she needed to be here so Ira could learn to fly…”

A piercing scream escaped her lips, then another and another with every breath she took  in, struggling to release her feelings in any other way. Though the anguished sounds turned back into normal sobs when her face found his shoulder to muffle them - her weight entirely against him.      

---

"I am sure we could make room for someone in our home, someone who would have the responsibility of teaching Ira things like that. Karina could decide wh-" Magnus began, cutting off with a flinch, his arms tightening around Thea as his ears picked up on the screams a few halls away.

“Devi, go ice your face and get something to ease the pain? I’ll come see you later.” Lucian said gently as he freed a hand up for a moment, gently reaching behind his back to squeeze her hand briefly before letting go and moving to scoop Karina up in his arms as if she were a child. Lowering his head to speak gentle words of comfort as he began to head toward his room.

---

Thea’s eyes rolled into the back of her head, breath stopping in her chest as the noise triggered a vision coming out of it seconds later and letting out a large exhale. “It appears neither I nor Dagmar are re rihjt people for her at the moment… we are not the ones who will get results…”

Karina allowed herself to crumble in his arms, her fingernails tangling into the front of his shirt. Biting out between struggled breathes, "Do- don't let an- anyone see me. P- please don't le- let them see me."

---

In those few seconds, Magnus had gently pulled her into his lap and began to smooth her hair down gently. "What did you see?"

“You’re safe with me.” Lucian promised. Shifting her gently in his arms when he reached his quarters so he could open the door before carrying her in and gently placing her on his bed. Leaving her there briefly so he could go back and close the door.

---

“It’s Lucian who shall be picking up the pieces of this… for today at least… she’s gone to him.”

Karina leant down to peel her shoes from her feet, it taking longer than it should of due to her hands shaking so much. With her feet free, she pulldd her legs up, shuffling into the centre of the bed to hold her knees against her chest with a shuddering breath. "Why are you being kind to me?"

---

"Oh that's..." Magnus took in a breath, shaking his head. "She wouldn't do that unless she was broken, something like that would upset Emmett. She clearly isn't thinking clearly."

“I hold no grudges.” Lucian shrugged as he moved around the room to close the curtains and bring the heat into the room. Taking his jacket off after a few moments and rolling up his sleeves before joining her back in the bedroom.

---

“Any attempt to get her to leave him will make her spiral further, I’ve seen it. She’s made a choice. They took her choices from her when it came to Emmett’s death… anyone trying to do that with how she goes forward will just drive her further away…”

"You used to do that before, it still doesnt make sense now." Karina whispered hoarsely, any words she could think of to fill the silence. "Make the room warmer, yet take off layers as if you need to cool down."

---

"Do you really think she is feeling owned right now?"

“Her husband was found dead and she wasn’t the first person called in. They refused to allow her to see him. Of course she’s feeling like what she thinks doesn’t matter…”

---

“It works for me, always has. Always felt the most comfortable with the fire on and my clothes off…” Lucian shrugged. “And now the less things touching my skin the better.”

"It wasn't a judgement, just an observation." Karina explained quietly, nodding subtly in response to his second comment. "It must feel like hell. Constant torture, mm?"

“I’m used to it now… can’t really remember what it felt like before.”

"I - It has been a very long time, hasn't it? Look at you though.." Karina praised sadly. "Not dead. Thriving, with people who love you. You've done great."

---

"Do you think what killed him is the same creature that carried a horse through our window?" Magnus asked tentatively, like saying them would bid it to be true.

“Mm, my family. My crew. Wherever they are at the moment. Last I heard from Kenna she was in Ikaros for the storm season.” Lucian moved to untie the ties at the front of his shirt to allow the air in at the top before sitting down on the arm chair near the bed, stretching back into it.

---

“Awful coincidence if not. That the Wolves are reporting their pack members missing and found half eaten. The thing in our window… Emmett being lifted and splattered like a rag doll… almost like something has awoken that was once dormant. Because this isn’t the hunting pattern of any animal native to our lands that I know of.”

"Perhaps the witches have been meddling with something. Maybe this is the Adair's, with all of their time plotting in that house of theirs."

---

"I thought you would leave when Dagmar was fighting fit again, and Conan could return to his duties." Karina whispered. "Though our Devika is coming out of her shell with you here. Even when we looked after the children with the humans she kept to herself."

“Conan needs me here and I promised I would stay until he no longer needed me…”

---

“Maybe we need to pay them a visit when we return home.”