Hope Falls

"Well done, well done." Avani praised, wrapping her arms around Indira's shoulders then to hug her tightly, glancing towards the figure in Lily's arms. "All done, all done now."

"Fetch Prince Kael," Aoife mumbled over her shoulder to one of the acolytes as she stepped forward to the inspect the child. Paling as she took the newborn in, a cautious hand reaching out to touch the top of it's head and shuddering at the texture. "Um, ensure the mother is okay. I need - pass the child to me."

---

"He should be having bigger things to think about."

“The wasting has taken this infant in the womb. I have seen it take toddlers… and children but… this child was - “ Lily whispered, shaking her head mournfully. Brushing her hand across the newborns forehead before passing him over to Aoife. Swallowing and taking a moment to compose herself before moving to pay attention back to Indira. A brief moment to inspect her and grimacing at the damage - turning to an acolyte and shouting; “Get me a strong, strong draught of tea with everything you can think of for painkillers. Akin to what we give the soldiers. She will need it. Bring me water, my kit for stitches, herbs to kill infection. Everything.”

“If we give her something so strong she will not be able to feed her children, it will appear in the milk and - “

“The child will be fed either way, the babe won’t starve. If we do not give her something to ease her pain soon she will go into shock and possibly die from it! Do not argue with me!”

Indira lay limp against her sister, drifting in and out of consciousness as her grip on her sister waned. Murmuring incomprehensible words as she tried to stay awake.

---

“Mm, but this is what he will worry about, and so we need to help him. He will never become a father for the first time again.” Isolde pointed out, throwing on a dressing gown and her slippers before quickly leaving the room to head to find Kael.

"Where is the baby? Where is - Indira..." Kael froze as he took in the room, still clutching Idris to him as he stared at her form. Taking half a step toward her, hand reaching down to brush her arm before Aoife's barked order to follow her. Hesitating, before following her into one of the empty rooms on the side.

Avani squeezed her hands tightly, before beginning to hum a soft melody in Baldruunian. The melody being one that was frequent in ceremonies to celebrate the birth of a child of nobility.

---

Aodhän sighed, following several steps behind.

“Make her drink this, tilt her head up. It will take the pain away.” Lily instructed Avani when the acolyte returned with a steaming mug, gesturing for the young girl to pass the mug over to them Princess. “Fetch the maids, have them set up the spare room in here for the Princess, the sooner we can move her off of this bed and away from all this mess the less chance of infection there will be.” She barked at the girl before watching her run off with a nod. Lily beginning to take out what was necessary from the kit brought to her, washing her hands in the water and rubbing her hands together until they emitted a faint, soft glow and getting to work.

---

Isolde raised her eyebrows in curiosity as she turned a corner, watching as Kael was banded into the room by Aoife, quickly stepping up her pace and following in behind him. Smiling brightly when she saw the child in his arms already. “Congratulations son.”

"Idris. This is - meet Idris." Kael introduced proudly, offering the child towards his mother for her to hold. "He is perfect, mm? I have never seen someone so... the other one, Aoife, where is my other son?"

Aoife swallowed, waiting until Aodhän had closed the door behind them before nodding towards the chair. "Sit.... sit, Kael."

---

Avani done as instructed, though continued her gentle humming. Tilting her sisters head with two fingertips placed delicately beneath her chin as she dribbled the liquid in, her own hands trembling.

Indira moved her hand to the side of the cup, drinking with her sisters help. A few minutes later, the draught taking effect as she closed her eyes, breathing softly, high on the drugs given to her.

“The child did not make it, I’m very sorry.” Lily murmured to Avani, when she was sure Indira was out of it. “I do not know if you know of the history of our land, but the child has been claimed by the wasting disease…”

---

Isolde took the baby in her arms, brushing a hand across his hair with quiet marvel at how much there was. Turning to Aodhän with a smile, though her head snapped up when she heard the tone of Aoife’s voice.

"I am not overly aware, no. I know very little, that it has killed a large population of your people but I thought it had been eradicated. I thought your people were thriving now, how could it infected a baby in the womb? Does this mean my sister will succumb to it too?"

---

"I just want to see the child, Aoife, what is the meaning of this. You are carrying him amongst the blankets, I am not blind." Kael frowned, slowly lowering himself down to sit on the chair. Reaching his arms out towards her.

"You should take the sapling out of the room, give him to a nanny to care for momentarily. You will both need to be present also." Aoife directed quietly at Isolde. Swallowing when Kael slapped his hand against the arm of the chair.

"This is ridiculous! Just pass me my child!"

“I wish I knew. I have not seen a case in over a decade…” Lily answered honestly, moving away from Indira once she had finished. “The land has not been treated poorly. And even when the wasting occurred, pregnancies just dropped off. The saplings that were born were born healthy, they contracted the disease later. I have never seen a child come from the womb with it, nevertheless completely taken by it. This is a first for me… I wish I knew what it meant. But as your sister is not from here… I do not think she will be affected.”

---

Isolde swallowed, nodding as she left the room. Coming back in a few minutes later. “You need to be plain Aoife, what is happening. Give my son his child.”

"The sapling was battling the wasting, without us being aware of it." Aoife began, voice quiet, words slow to come from her mouth as she anticipated the Prince's reaction. "With - within the womb. It is the reason behind Indira struggling to give birth to him, the - the reason he is not crying. Now..." She slowly walked towards him, passing the newborn to him. "I am deeply sorry for your lose, Prince Kael."

Kael's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion, his breathing catching in his throat however as his son was placed in his arms. Becoming very still; very silent.

"Kael..." Aodhän swallowed, stepping forward.

---

"Did anyone ever survive it once they were inflicted?"

“Those that were inflicted when the war was won and the land began to heal were mostly… not cured, but the disease went away. The marks on Prince Kael’s arm - he had it. But it had not progressed far, so it did not progress further. It took different times to take people. Some had it decades… some only six months. It claimed each person differently. Like a cancer.” Lily began to take a cloth and water, gently washing Indira down.

---

“Why would this happen? There has not been a new case of the disease since we claimed the land back from the Wolves. How - why would this happen now?” Isolde whispered in confusion, resting her hand on Kael’s shoulder and squeezing gently. “I’m so sorry, I - “ she shook her head, speechless.

"It is my fault. This is - this is my fault. I had tge wasting, its a part of me." Kael stated, staring down at the child in his arms. A trembling hand brushing across it's arm, tracing the light indentations of the bark. "I'm so sorry, little one. I'm so so-" He cut off when his voice broke. Tears dripping from his cheeks.
'
"No, no." Aoife denied gently. "You can't say things like that, it isn't factual. No point tormenting yourself when we don't have the answers."

---

"I just don't understand why it would take my nephew if it was dormant." Avani swallowed.

“Kael no, no. It is not your fault at all. The wasting is not passed on. It is not like your green eyes or Indira’s black hair. It is not something you did.” Isolde shook her head, moving to press a kiss to the top of her son’s head, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Stilling when she took the infant in, realising the true extent of the damage before glancing up to Aoife. “Princess Indira… did she survive this? Giving birth to - did she survive this?” she asked quietly, taking a deep breath in anticipation for the answer.

---

“I wish I know, Princess. Perhaps we as a people have angered our ancestors. Or the lands somewhere are failing and we have not taken enough notice and this is the result… I am terribly sorry it has happened though. To lose a child…” Lily shook her head before getting up to dispose of the leftover materials. “We need to get her off of this bed and into the other room, to undress and clean her so there is no infection. I believe we can do this together, so that nobody else she does not know well has to touch her during such a vulnerable time. But if you do not feel up to this I can request the acolytes help me. If you would rather be with her surviving child.”

"The damage is... extensive but if I were in her position then I would feel in safe hands with Lily. She is very skilled. Indira's biggest risk now will be infection, and reopening stitching. She will need bed rest, and powerful pain killers for awhile." Aoife answered quietly, watching as Kael stiffly leant toward Isolde's embrace. His hand lifted to his mouth to stifle silent sobs.

"So she will be fine? You have already been asked to be plain today, Aoife." Aodhän pressed with irritation.

"It is too soon to say."

---

"I will remain with her, the - the child has plenty of people to care for him."

“Do whatever is necessary to ensure Indira’s survival. And - the remaining boy. Whatever tests are necessary to see if - to see if he was touched by the disease too. Have him checked over immediately. And if signs are found…” Isolde shook her head, speechless at the thought for a few moments. “Hopefully no signs are found.” She added in a whisper, holding Kael closer. “Thank you, Aoife.”

---

“Once we get her settled into bed she won’t be leaving for a long while. Not if we wish to ensure she heals well. I will have a batch of the medicine she will need made up, but what my fellow healer said earlier is correct, the medication will taint her milk, she will not be able to feed the child herself. In truth for a few weeks she is likely to be too unwell to do anything for the boy.” Lily explained quietly as she moved to the other side of the bed. Despite her wiry frame, she easily lifted Indira into her arms and began to walk to the other room, laying Indira on top of, rather than under the covers so they could dress her first.

"Half of Hawk's men have returned back, beaten, bitten. Distraught." Aoife continued, grimacing at the timing as she rose to her feet. "They have reported deaths. Hawk isn't back with them, but they believe that he has been taken alive."

---

"The boy will have me, and I imagine you have wet nurses here to feed him." Avani whispered, assisting where she can. Walking to her sisters wardrobe to pull out a long, loose and light weighted night gown. "As long as she lives, that is the priority."

“As her sister… Are you the one to break the news to her of what has happened to her son? If it is too difficult, I can bear the brunt of that conversation, Princess.” Lily offered as she gently took Indira’s clothes off, grabbing another clean damp cloth to clear off what she had missed before. “The loss of her son… and the ability to have more, I would say. She… I do not wish to be so… crass, about the situation. But she birthed what is essentially part of a tree. The damage - I will not be able to tell the full extent for many, many months yet, until she has healed, but I doubt very much that she will be able to become pregnant, and safely deliver. Her first boy is likely to be her only.”

---

“I - “ Isolde shook her head. “Hawk is alive. He will remain alive. He is a strong man. I will - “ she was silent, holding Kael close. “My son has just lost his own son. I will see the wounded and address what must be done in a few hours. I will sort things out in an hour or two…”

"I will deal with it, I - " Avani swallowed, taking a second cloth to help. "One step at a time. I can't think any more than one step at a time currently."

---

"I never meant for it to appear as a call for action. It is not my place to tell you where to spend your energy. Apologies if it came across as such." Aoife whispered, bowing her head in respect before excusing herself from the room.

Kael had turned his head to bury his face against his mother's shoulder. Silent sobs turning to heartbroken wails as soon as they were alone, dissolving further when Aodhän's arms too found their way around him.

“I wish I could say something to ease the pain, or something that would make this easier.”

---

“I’m here, we are here.” Isolde whispered mournfully, holding Kael as close as she could. Swallowing thickly as she glanced to Aodhän and back down again. “I have been here, I have gone through this loss… I understand…”

"It is my fault, it is my fault." Kael sobbed. "I- Idris is going to h- have it t- too. He will- he-" He choked, gasping for his breathe. "He will di- die t-too. I - I won't ha- ave children. Th- they'll all.. th- they..."

"You don't know that is true," Aodhän whispered.

---

"I lost a child before, the child wasn't so... she looked like a child but I know how she is going to feel. It is indescribable."

“No, no.” Isolde shook her head, moving to get on her knees then in front of Kael, moving to rest her hand over his, her free hand brushing briefly across the baby’s arm. “No, Kael. This is not your fault. It is not inherited. It is not a trait you pass on. Your other little boy - Idris, he looked perfect in those moments when I held him. And Aoife will run her tests - you know she is the finest at detecting things. If there is a single thing wrong with him, we will know… And if… if there is something, then we will go through it together. You had this disease, and you are here, alive. It did not take you. Because we finally fixed what was plaguing the ancestors. We will find it again, to save him. We will not stop until we do, you have my word.”

---

“The entire nation will mourn with you. Children are so sacred to us, after how scarce they became. And Kael is beloved. The loss of a child he fathered will also be felt deeply.”

"N- no because it is in me, it never went away fully it is still in me. So it must have passed to him, an- and Idris an- and..." He screamed against his mother's shoulder then, "He's dead! He's dead! Why?! Wh- Why?!"

---

"People tend not to care much for bastard children,"

“I loathe that term, deeply.” Lily shook her head, taking the gown and gently dressing Indira, moving the blankets to cover her. “A child does not choose their parents. A child does not want to be legitimate. They just wish to be loved, to be safe. And loving them, keeping them safe, should be all that matters in the end. I understand the lines of succession… and I understand it being passed through marriage… I just hate that it is so cruel to children who have done nothing wrong but be born.”

---

“Oh Kael.” Isolde choked back her own sobs, encompassing her son in her arms, kissing the top of his head. “I am so sorry, so sorry…”

"It's good to let it out now," Aodhän assured, his own voice thick as he reached over to smooth Kael's hair down. "Let it out now, so you can keep it together for Indira, for your surviving son."

Kael sobbed, and screamed until his voice was too hoarse to do it any longer. The only indication that he was still crying being the violent shaking of his shoulders, weight heavy against Isolde.

---

"There are many things you would loathe then, about a life of apparent privilege." Avani whispered. "It comes with benefits though, on occasion. Like every kind of up bringing, every kind of life."

“You could not pay me to be you, with the greatest of respect.” Lily shook her head then, smoothing down the hair off Indira’s forehead. “Your sister almost died a world away from home because of the title she was born with. I may not have someone to help me dress, or make my food, and I may go back to my rooms and sleep on a mattress nowhere near as luxurious as this one but… who I marry is my own choice. Who I give my body to is something that cannot be dictated to me. Who’s children I bare - if any at all, is down to me. And it does not matter what is between their legs when they enter this world. It doesn’t matter if their father and I are married…” she said quietly, moving to take Indira’s hand and check her pulse on her wrist. “I think ladies like you and your sister are very, very brave, to keep living in spite of all of that choice being taken from you, for going along with it and making the best life you can with all you have had taken from you. I think it’s - I respect it deeply.”

---

“I’m here. Your father and I are here. We are not going anywhere. I’m here, my boy…”

"I may have to steal you, when I finally return home." Avani whispered, warm smile creeping onto her face. "You are... pleasant. Remind me of your name?"

---

"I - I need to see Indira. See - see she is breathing." Kael spoke hoarsely with a sharp inhale, choking as sobs threatened to erupt again. "Then I need to see Idris. H- he'll need me."