Hope Falls

“We promised we wouldn’t discuss the fate of the Baldruunians in our walls until you were well. So it’s time - we need to discuss what we do with Ishaan, with Lady Mehan and Princess Indira.” Isolde murmured as she watched Kael. “If you’re still not well we can postpone.”

---

“Sounds like the two of you got up to a lot whilst we were gone.” Lucian raised his eyebrows in reply.

"Many things seem to be waiting until I am well," Kael whispered, dread etching his tone as he glanced toward the hallway where Wyatt would have normally stood. "Aoife told me the bones in my face won't be healed until closer to the end of the season. It is unfair to keep everyone waiting until then, so better to get on with things."

"We need to decide how merciful we are going to be, Kael." Aodhän began, hands folded on top of the table where he sat. "Each person we currently hold, are enemies of our Kingdom. The people will want an example to be made of them, the ancestors too will demand restoration."

---

"Mhm," Eden nodded her confirmation, glancing toward her brother as Karina gently pulled a comb through his hair. Switching to her own tongue, "You flew, the furthest you have ever managed to fly yet, didn't you?"

"Ah, finally words I can understand." Karina mused lightly. "Did you like it, Ira? How far could you see?"

“Only a bit taller, I didn’t go high…” Ira shook his head. “Not too high.”

---

“If it were put to the people Ishaan, his sister and Lady Mehan would be put to the sword just as Arzen was. And despite you not wanting to see her recently I’m assuming you aren’t going to allow that to happen to the Princess and her friend. So we must decide exactly what it is we are to do with them.”

"He went really far though, like from here to the other side of the palace." Eden beamed proudly, attention going back to Lucian. "How far could you fly when you were mine and Ira's age?"

"Don't move your head when I am brushing your hair," Karina reminded lightly, wrinkling her nose as the knots that reformed in her sons hair. "You need a hair cut."

---

"Princess Indira and Lady Mehan were victims in this as much as the rest of us, and we tortured the guard and he made no indication that he knew a thing so we can be sure he was also innocent in it. We can't punish innocent people."

"So we kill the Prince and allow the others to return home-"

Kael interrupted with a firm tone. "Baldruun is not going to be home to them anymore. Indira has made it clear to me that it was barely a home to her before this."

“Marrying the Princess will offer us no advantage now Kael, so what is it you propose? Keeping them locked up here as prisoners? You think she will consider this place home if she is kept here as prisoner?” Isolde raised her eyebrow. “I know you shared your rooms with her before the siege ended, and I am sorry if you grew close and if you developed the notion that perhaps you could still complete the original goal of her being here but it’s not feasible any longer.”

---

“Stop. No.” Ira shook his head once more and pulled away at her tone, batting at the brush. “No.”

“Ah that was a while ago. I forget.”

((Night))

"Okay..." Karina put the brush down, showed her empty hands in quiet surrender. "I didn't mean to upset you Ira."

Eden frowned, edging a little further away from Lucian then so she could gently grab her brothers sleeve. "Nu uh, dad's friends said that you never forget the first time you fly and they wouldn't lie to us."

---

"Sending an innocent woman to her death is barbaric, and there has been enough brutality over the past few months for any of us to withstand." Kael took in a deep breath through his nose to stop his voice from raising. "Do you both agree with what the people want, that they should all be slaughtered?"

"I believe it would eliminate the problem, give the ancestors what they need to recover and satisfy everyone who has lost a loved one over the past few months." Aodhän confirmed. "If we let them live we will look like a laughing stock, and if we let them stay then they are using resources that we have no yet fully replenished. The only reason we kept them alive to begin with was to try and protect the castle from being burned to the ground."

Kael scoffed, horror stricken.

---

"You have been more pensive then usual this week," Florence whispered, sat on her knees behind Wyatt, her hands shining with a coconut oil which she rubbed into the knots of his shoulders. "What have you been thinking about?"

“You leave, then want me to be different now you are back. That’s not fair. Aunt Devika likes my hair, no haircut.” Ira pulled away from Eden, shuffling away from the both of them before leaving the room.

---

“I don’t necessarily believe Indira should be executed, but I fail to see what else would work. You do not want her sent back - which means you want to keep her prisoner here? You have dismissed her all this week whilst you have recovered so why would you want to commit to supporting her indefinitely when you no longer have an interest in her? She is miserable here, you say she will be miserable if we send her home. What do you suggest? There’s no advantage in you wedding her anymore, nobody else will want her as the title will essentially be a useless decoration without her fathers approval.”

"I don't want you to be different, Ira I-" Karina began, letting her voice fade to silence as her son left the room. Swallowing when Eden shuffled from the bed and jogged after her brother. "I am... Why won't the Fates allow one thing to be easy, Luc? I am so tired." She took in a trembling breath as her voice broke.

---

"Excuse me if I have not had it within me to entertain with a swollen face, a pounding head and enough guilt I would drown within it if it were water." Kael retorted, voice sharp. "She will not be miserable if we send her home, she will be killed. She is as much a victim in this as the rest of us have been. If we keep her here, they may not try it again. It will make them pause to think, they'll have one less pawn."

“If I knew I’d have answers I wanted myself…”

---

“So what is your suggestion then Kael? If not to execute them both to send a message to their father? What would you do if the crown were on your head and you were King?”

Kael took in a breath, rubbing the space between his eyes when the pain in his head went from a dull ache to a light knock. His voice quiet as he answered, "They would go to the Summer Palace, they will work there when the Crown Prince makes his return to make themselves useful to our kingdom. I need a guard, Wyatt can put Ayaz through the paces before he leaves. Zoya can help in the kitchen, teach my staff what she knows of the spices and ways of cooking in the East which will break diversity and Indira, Indira can tutor me in her language. I can become fluent, which will help future communications with the East."

“And Ishaan? What would you have done with him?”

"Send him as a messenger with the carrion." Kael cast a glance towards Aodhän, firm gaze meeting his own. "Think of all the legends that never existed because the rulers never let one person to go and tell the story. Ishaan bringing his big brothers head to daddy will prove to them what happens when they think they can be smart."

“I think Lady Mehan should be sent back too. To speak of what she endured under the Razi’s siege. Her father is one of the most wealthy noblemen in Baldruun. If she goes home and speaks of how she nearly died of starvation because the King wanted to play games I imagine her father’s support and all those under his influence. It will destabilise them further. A dead son, a disgraced son, a daughter kept as a political prisoner and his financial backers angry at him…”

"I don't want them seperate, Lady Mehan from Ayaz. Indira from Lady Mehan." Kael looked to the table then, confidence diminishing. "I - I understand the reasoning, but I think Lady Mehan is too pivotal in the wellbeing of Indira to seperate them. We want the Princess to be useful to us, not suicidal."

“I agree with your reasoning sending Ishaan back, but Lady Mehan needs to go too. It’ll also bolster good faith with her father and make him less likely to fund a mercenary army to come and collect her.”

"Indira has suffered enough." Kael argued, voice quiet.

"This is not a game, Kael." Aodhän shot back with a sharp voice. "We can not give the three of them special treatment because you have grown fond on the sister."

"We must send back Ayaz th-"

"Or because of your silly notions of true love." He interuppted, tapping his palm against the wooden table. "You must learn to compromise."

“Send the guard back then. To be honest Kael I don’t know if I’d ever fully trust him in your presence. Keeping him against his will, killing his master, embarrassing his best friend? Especially after what he went through in the dungeon? I wouldn’t trust him around you with a sword in his hand. Sending him back with the others can be arranged.”

"Wyatt has told Ishaan Ayaz is dead, it was one of his ways of breaking the Prince." Kael swallowed. "The same with Zoya. If we let the two go back, and Ishaan finds out then he knows our head of security has lied and that will look bad on us. It will lessen the effect, even more so then letting three survivors return."

"Option one - We allow the three home. Option two - We kill the Prince and send Mehan and the guard back as messenger. Option three - we kill Mehan and the guard, and allow the Prince home." Aodhän's nose wrinkled. "Though I do think we are overcomplicating this. Letting a guards life take any precedents in this debate, as if the man's life is worth anything."

Kael's nostrils flared with his intake of breath, knuckles turning white as he tried to keep himself calm.

“They lied to us about their intentions with being here in the first place. I honestly could not care less about the Princes opinion. Compromise was mentioned, so we shall all have to compromise here. Lady Mehan, the guard and the Prince will be returned home with King Amir, he’s assured us he’ll get them there without any funny business if we chose to. That he’d enjoy the satisfaction of returning Prince Ishaan in chains.”

"I will be giving Indira the option of saying goodbye to him." Kael stated, deadpan. His eyes, however, didn't lift up to look at either of his parents. "I am not cruel, and you shall never force my hand to be that way. I have taken one brother from her, I will ensure - at the very least - she gets to say goodbye to the other."

"You are too soft, and it will destroy you in the end." Aodhän retorted, more coldly then he had intended. "Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves. Your enemies will never show you such kindness."

"I don't care."

“We are allowing the man who is partially responsible for what happened to us free - that’s not cruelty Kael. What they did was cruel; what we are doing in comparison is barely anything at all.” Isolde shook her head with a sigh. “Amir will be leaving in a week from now, that is when his men will be rested enough, his ships restocked enough. I’ll arrange a meeting with him and Liara tomorrow to iron out the details…”

"I am not talking about cruelty to Ishaan." Kael pushed to his feet, hand trembling as he took the lap swig of his water from the cup in front of him. Quietly mumbling as he made his way towards the door, "Excuse me, I have too much to do."    However, he paused in the doorway and directed over his shoulder, "I will be asking Wyatt and Florence to come to the Summer Palace with me, when I move back. Whether Wyatt wants to work for me or not, is his choice, but his home will be with me."

Aodhän just raised his eyebrows, watching with a bemused grin

“You have mentioned the palace twice… it seems you are intent on moving back soon?” Isolde frowned deeply.

"It was never meant to be permanent, coming back. Things just... kept happening." Kael swallowed, glancing down towards the floor as he gripped the door. "I don't want to be anywhere near where I killed that man right now."