Hope Falls

"Not directly. He - he..." Magnus shook his head. "He implied I am not doing enough to make this place safe for his child, or him and Matilda. He implied I had not suffered any losses. He was a bastard, and your sister knew it too as she encouraged him away."

---

"We need to put Eris first." Matilda whispered sadly, brushing her thumb lightly along his cheek. "This is no longer about us, Izsak. Not with how sad she is getting."

---

"That's what I just don't Lucia-"

Eden shrieked at the physical touch, body arching to move herself away from him; barely reacting to the drop as her body thudded from his arms. Red tears leaking from her eyes a moment later, before she blinked and her eyes became clearer - breathing slowing to a normal pace; though she didn't move.

"It was a vision... it had to be a vision." Devika gulped.

“He’s alive when he shouldn’t been skinned and Matilda should’ve been imprisoned for what she allowed to happen to me and they have the audacity to say things aren’t safe or good for them here?”

---

“Putting Eris first is keeping her with us. We are all she has. My family are dead. Your sisters you were with for years and had the strongest bond with were all split up on purpose. Taking her away from you is not happening.”

---

“Fuck.” Lucian hissed as he crouched back down beside her. “Eden? Eden? Your mama is on her way, see you okay?”

((Night))

"He asked if they could go and live in the woods as reclusives where they wouldn't be disturbed, and he had the audacity to scoff in my face when I explained that I had people that ruled over me too." Magnus let out a sigh, lifting a hand up to pat his leg in frustration. "I am used to people thinking that things for us are pleasant, Thea. Townsfolk, my staff.. those who we keep professional boundaries with but hearing that from the partner of a Seer tested my patience, especially when we do so much for them. You and I fought in the trenches of that war too, we had no ivory tower, those body counts were not numbers on a page to us. Out of everyone we had the right to slaughter every fleabag we saw, but we had humility, compassion, and it is still not enough."

---

"Maybe if I call out to the Guardian's - or a Valkyrie, and they hear my grievances. Maybe they'll give Horvat a warning, maybe it'll force him to make things better for us."

---

"P-pointed e- ears." Eden choked out, digging her fingernails into the soft ground beneath her.  "P- pointed ears and sc- screaming. Mama- no, no mama. With daddy...." With a trembling hand she tried to push herself up, gagging on blood congealed in her throat. "Wing-wingless an-angel gi-'girl... red-red hair."

"Eden, sshh, shh." Devika soothed, dropping to her knees next to Lucian. Directing lowly at him; "She must be very upset this morning if she is taking so long to get to her own daughter."

(( Night ))

“The Fae Queen…” Lucian whispered to himself as he processed what Eden was saying. “She knows that her mother and I have to go see The Fae.”

---

“Or maybe they’ll say that if Eris is so miserable they’ll just take her now instead of later! Involving them is ridiculous!”

---

“Izsak wants everyone to hurt the way he is hurting… it’s silly.”

"You have to go and see the Fae? Why - what... what wingless angel?" Devika's face scrunched up in confusion, shaking her head. "I - I don't understand. Eden, Eden what did you see-"  

"Lucian? Devika? What's going on..."  Karina questioned as she hurried over to them. "Eden. Why is there blood?"

---

"He's a dick. I'm not keen on her either." Magnus mumbled. "I'd like to think that I am reasonable in who I dislike too."

---

"We don't even know if she is Seer or wolf yet." Matilda frowned. "I want you to be happy, Izsak. You deserve to be happy..."

“I am a wingless Angel, am I not? She has seen me and her mother going to meet Isolde. The red headed Fae with pointy ears.”

---

“She saved my life…”

---

“There is no situation in which we can be happy is there? You want rid of us - are you worried she’s a wolf and you don’t want to deal with that? Because you seem awfully convinced we can’t stay with you!”

"Bad people do good things all of the time." His hand lifted up, brushing his fingers through her hair as he leant in to kiss her forehead. "I think the girl is smart enough to understand they were losing, or maybe she saw it, and only had self-preservation in mind."

---

"She had a vision?" Karina frowned, sitting down on her knees in front of Lucian as she held her arms out for her daughter. "Devika, where is Ira?"

"Ira?" Devika echoed, glancing over her shoulder and swallowing when he wasn't there. Hands beginning to tremble, "Ira. Oh. He - he was here. He-"

"'He was?!"

Eden remained curled against Lucian, too shaken to move other than turning her head, ever slightly enough to bury her face into Lucian's chest.

---

"No, no.. Silly man." Matilda hushed, taking half a step even closer, so she was pressed against him. One arm wrapping across his back, the hand of the other tangling in the hair in the back of his head in a firm embrace. Whispering against his ear; "In no world, no universe do I want to be rid of you. I will be  celebrating if our daughter is a wolf like you. You're my world, both of you, the wolves."

“You’ve just tried to get rid of me - us - for half an hour straight! Wouldn’t be surprised if I came home next time to my bags packed and transport arranged! What happened to fighting for us as a family?! In what universe are we a family without you?!”

---

“She’s my sister… and when I needed her most… she was there for me. I don’t… I don’t want to think bad of her Magnus. Not when she saved me.”

---

“I’ve got you.” Lucian assured as he held Eden close. “Just take deep breaths mm? That ringing in your ears will go soon, you’ll feel less shaky. I promise.”

"You help Lucian look after my daughter, and pray that nothing has happened to my son whilst you have been distracted or you will be beaten by me before I send you up to my husband for him to batter you down to hell." Karina spat with venom, curling her hands in to dig her fingernails into her own palm to stop herself from slapping her. Walking into the trees a few moments later; "Ira?!"

"Dizzy." Eden whimpered. "Everything loud, where - where is here?"

---

"I want you and our baby to be happy, and safe." Matilda played with his hair gently as she spoke. "You have been prisoner for too long, unsafe for too long to feel it here too. This - I am always a prisoner, always, it is all I have ever know. It only began to feel like it as I watched Draven and Sarika order my sisters dead, tortured despite knowing what it done to me, but it was true the whole time before it. I love you both, so, so deeply. I won't make you go, of course not, and I- I want you to stay but if you need to go, then you can, okay? It's all I mean. Don't feel you are trapped here because of me."

---

"You need to tell her to keep izsak in line. He toed it too closely today, I can't put up with that too often."

“You’re outside the castle grounds. You’re okay, Eden. It’s okay.”

---

“We can’t be happy if we’re anywhere that’s not with you. So stop trying to get rid of us. Please.”

---

“I’ll remind her that she is welcome here… he is here by extension and there’s plenty of room in the villages should he toe the line.”

"A little more directly then that, hopefully." Magnus mumbled, raking his fingers through his own hair then. "We have gone out of our way to be kind to them and it is not being appreciated."

---

"You didn't sleep last night," Matilda leant back then, enough to cup his face. Brushing her thumbs against the dark circles beneath his eyes, "Moster sad eyes."

---

"Ira?" Karina continued to call, panic edging her voice as she wandered deeper into the trees. Pausing near one of the older oaks to listen for a response.

---

"I- I don't feel... I don't feel good."

"Should we bring her inside?" Devika whispered. "Wipe the blood from her face."

"I think we should hand off the rest of todays duties to Danica, mm? Let us spend the day together. With Zaria.”

---

“Mm, let’s get you to your bed and cleaned up, you okay with that?” Lucian asked as he gently moved to stand, early in case she tried to roll again.

---

Ira was on the floor by some vegetation, on his hands and knees as he peered into a warren.

---

“When do I ever sleep, Matilda? People walk past our door all night…”

"Maybe we should accept Magnus' offer of a short-break," Matilda broached cautiously. "If we go somewhere isolated, secluded.. it may help you sleep."

---

"Ah, this is one if your subtle ways of telling me I am stressed." Magnus mused quietly. "You're wrong. I'm not, I am angry - they are very different."

---

"Ir-" Karina called once more, it taking a further ten minutes until she came across him. Letting out a trembling breath of relief as he came into view, and freezing where she was to not frighten whatever creature he was looking at.

---

"Can't go with you." Eden whined tiredly. "Da- daddy no like you. Ira said.. he'll be mad."

“Above all your daddy would want you safe and comfy. Your daddy loved you, he’d want you to feel okay.”

---

“It went in there… and now it’s gone. Can’t get to it.” Ira said sadly when he noticed his mothers presence. “It was a baby. Fluffy…”

---

“Where would we even go? I don’t know this area.”

---

“I’m saying that we should spend the day with our daughter… it makes us both feel better. And if she’s picking up on things… her visions could start soon.”

"We'll find somewhere, I am sure Thea will have suggestions or we could wander into the town today and find Oscar Belmont, the old hound seems to have explored half of the vampires lands already - far too social for his own good, but I'm sure he'll know the perfect place."

---

"Her visions. It shouldn't be allowed by the Fates, for the visions to be seen as young as Z, as young as Karina's Eden. They're babies, how can they distinguish... between all of it?"

---

"When creatures get scared they run home, home is safety." Karina answered softly, tentatively approaching her son and sitting down on her knees beside him. "Did you follow it all the way out here from where you, Dev and Eden were?"

---

"Mhm, he won't mind." Devika backed up quietly. "Lucian is a Prince, you know what the stories say. Prince's are good, they don't hurt people. I'll come too."

Eden hesitated, before nodding a worried agreement.

“I had a few in childhood. But I didn’t realise what they were. It felt like deja vu more than anything. I’m hoping all she sees is what she’s getting for lunch the day after and what dresses she’ll pick… I just pray she doesn’t see anything heavy. Both of them.”

---

“Is wandering around town a good idea right now?”

---

“No. I heard something else. A deer. But then the deer disappeared and then I saw something small and furry…”

---

“Good girl.” Lucian nodded, headed back toward the castle.

"Something?" Karina swallowed thickly, flinching at the sound if wings and branches snapping; birds above them fleeing their nest. Her hand, trembling, reaching over to wrap her arm around her sons shoulders, "You can be following creatures out into the forest without someone with you, Ira. Okay? What if you get lost?"

---

"Do you need me with you?" Devika asked quietly, straightening herself up to follow a pace behind.

---

"If we are going to stay here, then we need to get used to being uncomfortable. Fake the confidence until it comes naturally."

---

"I hate not being able to wrap her in blankets, keep her away from all of it. I hat not being able to control this for her, filter it so she only sees what we think she is ready for."

“May be best if you go back and tell Karina where I’m taking Eden.”

---

“I know my way back home. Daddy always brought us in here. I can find my way back.”

---

“It’s been years. And we still - do you really think it can change? That we can ever feel better?”

---

“I wish - “ Thea started, nodding at what he said in agreement. “Hopefully it’ll just be her dresses…” she repeated sadly.

"He brought you in here, exactly. You were with an adult, so you were safe. You are not old enough to be in places like this alone, Ira. You, nor Eden. I will be telling Devika off for leaving the both of you, she knows better than that." Karina shook her head. "Where did the deer go? Was it scared by something?"

---

"Karina seems... angry at me again." Devika clicked her tongue. "I have no desire to be hit again. Surely she'll use her common sense."

---

"It has to... it has to because this isn't a life. The first step is walking through that town like it is our home, to speak to a wolf who has already mastered that trick. To ask him where we can go to take a break from these walls."

---

"What do you wish?"

“Something spooked it I think. It startled. Not Devi’s fault.”

---

“I - fair enough.” Lucian grimaced. “I don’t think she would do that again.”

---

“Can you… see if it works?”

---

“Sometimes I wish she’d be normal and I wouldn’t have passed this onto her. But then I feel - wrong because… it’s a gift.”

Matilda's shoulders rose and fell with a sigh, squeezing his hand tightly and whispering, "You have no memory of it, you were dying but when we were in those cells I saw your future. You were in a field of flowers, chasing after a seven year old red headed child with lovely long locks of hair right down to her waist. Your eyes -  would you like to see it? I can show you... would you like to feel what our future feels like?"

---

"Oxymorons exist. Things can be good and bad, sweet and sour, a gift and a curse." Slipping an arm around her, he pulled her into his lap. "You are in your right as much as I am to worry about our daughters future, it is part of our job."

---

"Not purposefully." Devika answered, diplomatic. "Not maliciously."

---

"She was meant to looking after you both, yet she allowed Eden to get into such a state and did not even know where you were. The woods are not safe, Ira, you can not be here alone. Did you see what spooked the deer?"

“No… but it’s not her fault. You’ve been mean to her since daddy left us.”

---

“We’re going to spend the rest of our lives worrying after her aren’t we?” Thea laughed softly, kissing his cheek.

---

“If you’re genuinely worried about her… I can see if Conan can find someone else to help her with the children. You shouldn’t fear for your safety.”

---

“Was it Eris you saw? Was Eris the girl?”

((Night))

"It was, now we've met her, I know it was." Matilda grinned. Repeating the question softly again; "Do you want to see? Do you want to feel the happiness early?"

---

"Maybe send someone else to tell her where we are. I - I don't want to speak to her until she seems calmer."

---

"She was meant to be looking after you, she isn't. I am within my right to be angry at her for breaking that promise, Ira." Karina shook her head, pushing herself up to standing. Swallowing thickly as the forest became eeirly silent, air heavy - birds whom hadnt already fled becoming still, the last of the deer and other mammals seeking shelter. "Come on, Ira, let's go home."

---

"I think that is something that makes us good parents." Magnus hummed, turning his head to catch her lips

(( Night night ))

“No… no. If I know it’s to come - it gives me something to hold to.”

---

Lucian nodded as he let himself into Karina’s quarters, heading to the children’s room.

---

Thea kissed him back gently, resting her hand on his face.

---

Ira nodded, seeing no need or point in arguing with her. Raising his hand to take hers.

"It is. It was one of those visions that were... fixed. I have had it a few times, and it has never changed. That happiness, that bliss." Matilida offered a sad smile, leaning in to press her lips to his forehead. "When I tell you it is going to be okay, 'Sak, I mean it."

---

"I'm sorry." Devika grimaced once more, stepping into the room. "You said you and Karina were going to go and speak to the fae, why?"

"No, no go away." Eden whimpered tiredly. "Eden and Ira alone then. She can't go.."

---

"Will you come out from your humble abode to join us in the living quarters?" Magnus hummed against her lips then. "I think our child will be pleased to see she was right and you were being 'lazy'."

---

Karina took a moment to take in the area; eyes flitting from the tree tops, to the ground and up again as she leant down to pick Ira up instead. Quietly hurrying the way they had came. "You're too little to be in places so big alone, okay? You and your sister. I'm glad your so confident, I am but.. you have to remember to still be careful. No peering down warren's, mothers are protective of their children."