Hope Falls

“Starling, Princess. Lily Starling. I have worked under Healer Aoife for many, many years, mostly with the women of the castle…”

---

“He will.” Isolde nodded, getting up and patting his shoulder. “And as that little boy needs you… you are allowed to need us, okay? I need you to know that your father and I are here for you, always. Any time of day…”

"You are very talented. I - If you get a moment, I don't suppose you can pass on to the Guard that Queen Isolde has had watching me that I will be here for as long as I need to be. Here, in this room. It is better than the worry when he sees I am not in my room."

---

Kael nodded, kissing her cheek and squeezing his father's shoulder before stepping out of the room.

Isolde waited until Kael had left the room before leaning into Aodhän’s arms with a sob, her head on his shoulder.

---

“I think I have see a few with you, do you know his name?”

"There is a main one, the others all just... Cover breaks and the like." Avani hummed, waving her own comments away. "Rau- Cavaughan."

---

Aodhän wrapped his arms tightly around her with a trembling breath, pressing his face into the top of her head.

“Ah, Cavanaugh… Yes. I remember him being furious that his leave had been cancelled as General Hawk had been sent North. He has been stomping around the last few days all bothered because of it…” Lily laughed softly, shaking his head. “I will leave you with your sister, for now. But I will make sure there is a pair of Acolytes in the quarters at all time. Not to be intrusive - but so that if anything happens with Princess Indira - one can provide immediate help and the other can run to fetch one of us. The tea I gave her was only mild, I did not want to give her anything stronger for now as I did not want to overwhelm her system. The amount of blood she’s lost puts her in a dangerous position. So it will be mild but frequent painkillers and sedatives to help her rest through the pain until I am sure she is passed the danger zone, and then I can begin to give her the painkillers that will truly take the edge off. She will likely be in and out of consciousness for at least a week until I can be sure. I will have a wheeled chair ordered to the room so that she can be taken from bed to the bathroom - but for no other reason should she be moved…” she stood up, nodding to herself as she appeared to remember everything. “As for yourself… I will tell the maids to bring up some wine. It may not even be sunrise, but you have just witnessed something incredibly traumatic, not only on its own but it reminded you of what I imagine was one of, if not the worst, times of your own life. I can imagine you would like your nerves steadied.”

---

“Our boy… I - do not know how to get him through this.” Isolde wept, “How can I advise him through his grief when in my own I let this kingdom rot?”

"If the tea begins to wear off, should I send for you or ask one of them?" Avani questioned, before laughing nervously. "Yes, yes wine is... I certainly wouldn't say no to it. Thank you."

---

"I don't know," Aodhän swallowed, tangling his fingers in the hair on the back of her head. "I feel it in my bones, when - when he screams like that."

“They are capable enough of making and administering it. But if it no longer works, send for us. Either myself or Aoife will be checking in very frequently anyway, just to make sure she is doing well. And since you have said you will care for the surviving child, he will need our care too. As for… as for the one that passed, we - “ Lily grimaced at the topic. “We bury our dead as soon as possible, just before daybreak where we can. That gives us around a day to mend your sister enough so that she is able to hold her little one in her arms and say goodbye before the funeral. I will do everything within my abilities to ensure she gets that moment.”

---

“I hate that - that he now understands what I went through with Síofra. All the times I talked about her to him I thanked the ancestors that he would never know the same pain, and now he does… What have we done, Aodhän? That has angered them so for them to punish their chosen one this way? Or where have we failed to make their power wane so much that they cannot hold back the disease any longer? Is this because we have allowed the wolves as refugees on our land and they continue to pollute it?”

"Bury? No, no. He is not just yours, and we do not bury. Burying in our culture traps the soul within the body, the process of burning, of scattering ashes is a release from the mortal binds. He can not be buried."

---

"It seems cruel to punish us, to punish him for showing compassion, compassion which we very rarely show." Aodhän swallowed. "Why did our Seers not see this? Why did any Seers not see this? He makes all these alliances with other Kingdoms, I struggle to believe it wasn't eluded to in any of their gifts."

“Who is to say they did not see it? And it was one of those visions that they were forbidden from speaking of…” Isolde sighed deeply, pulling away and wiping at her eyes. “Tea… tea and clothes. I cannot be seen wandering the halls in a night gown… and then we… We begin to put the pieces back together.”

---

“That is something you shall have to discuss with the Prince, The Queen… advocate on Indira’s behalf if she is not awake to do so. I wish I could help you with that but I my words hold no weight with things like that.”

"It will doom him, it will - it is worse than death." Avani almost pleaded then, devastation coating her voice as her composure finally began to break. "These people do not see ours as-"

"Sorry," Kael whispered hoarsely, gripping lightly onto the door of the room as he stood near it's frame tiredly. "Starling, how - Is she okay?"

---

"What Aoife said.. about Hawk." Aodhän swallowed. "Florence will have to be informed, even though we can't plan immediately."

“I understand, Princess Avani… I hope that you can come to something that will work for both cultures at play here.” Lily gently squeezed Avani’s hand before turning to Kael, giving him a deep bow. “Your Highness. Princess Indira is - she is alive thankfully. I have done all I can, and with a pinch of luck and the ancestors blessings in time she will make a full recovery. But for now, she is going to need a lot of rest, painkillers… and people who love her by her side to ease the heartache that is to come her way when she wakes up…”

---

“I’ll have someone send for her whilst we go get ready to take this day on fully.”

"To think we still have an entire day to get through, that most people are in their beds sleeping blissfully ignorant." Aodhän sighed, syrpping back to rub at his face. "The people will mourn, when they learn... but can - can we allow them to learn? If they begin to fear the wasting has returned... that the ancestors have abandoned their most beloved?"

---

"I will be with Idris. Wh- when she wakes up then send for me, and I will be At her side imminently." Kael lowered her gaze to watch the ground. "Thank you, for all you have done for us so far and what you will continue to do." He mumbled, disappearing from the doorway as quickly as he had appeared.

Avani swallowed

“No… no they cannot. Nobody who does not already know should know of what happened in that room. Of… of how the child entered the world. We shall announce the birth and death when Kael feels ready, but we shall say that it was an unfortunate stillbirth. Though heartbreaking, it does occur… Not only will it prevent panic… but it will spare Indira and Kael the pain of something so horrific being spread like wildfire.”

---

“I will go and fetch you that wine, Princess Avani… and your guard.” Lily said quietly when Kael left, moving to follow him. “I will have the acolytes stationed within a few minutes. But I will be available at the drop of a hat. For any reason… for your sister or yourself.” She added before bowing and leaving

Avani walked to the far side of the room when she was alone, pressing her forehead against the corner so she felt the pressure from both sides. Letting out a trembling sob.

---

"We're agreed. We need to incite as much secrecy over Hawk, the failed mission. No one can know anything of what has transpired this morning. If anyone let's anything slip, they'll have to be punished. I'll get it written into paperwork."

Around ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door, Ruairi walking in and closing the door behind him a few moments later. “Princess Avani? Starling sent me. She said you asked for me? Made me escort some acolytes but I told them to stay outside for now…”

---

“We get ready for the day and then we face it.” Isolde nodded, resting her hand against her chest and taking a shaky breath. “Do we - do we allow Kael to be alone? Should I be with him right now?”

Avani moved from her spot, striding across the room towards him. Her arms slipping loosely around his torso, fingers curling into his shirt as she buried her face in the centre of his chest. "One of ny ne- nephews di- died, a- and my si- sister migh- might not make it an- and I have t- to fight for the bab- baby to be p-put to rest in a - a way Indira wo- would want but I- I don't know how to do it."

---

"I don't know, this isn't something... this isn't something I ever imagined." Aodhän rested his palm against her cheek. "I think we should give him until lunch. Let him spend time with his son, give him.. the opportunity to confide in his wife. If he hasn't seeked us out before food then we will go to him."

“He has a wife now…” Isolde reminded herself with a nod, “Someone to lean on so that we do not need to be by his side… he’s married.” She nodded once more and took a deep breath. “Let us go - the halls will be busy soon and I cannot have too many people seeing me dressed for bed.” She murmured, walking out of the door and toward their room.

---

“Oh,” Ruairi let out a small noise of surprise as he was hugged, only a moments hesitation as he wrapped his arm around her in return. “I - Gods. I am sorry, Avani. That’s - to lose a sapling and almost your sister. It is - I’m sorry.” He whispered, holding her close.

"If we are seen, if we hear anyone I shall stumble. Put on a show, pretend to be intoxicated. Yiu are being a dutiful wife woken up in the middle of the early hours, me wreckless. It will be a positive for you."

---

"H- he wasn't ju- just...he wasn't just b-born dead either he was..." Avani stammered between cries. "Like a tree, like - how can s woman birth a tree?! How do I explain that to her when she wakes? If she does."

“Except everyone knows you are far from a drunken fool.” Isolde laughed softly then, shaking her head, taking his arm and leaning against him. “But thank you, for being willing to embarrass yourself for my pride.”

---

“Birthing a - “ Ruairi inhaled sharply, moving to sit down at the weight of the implications of her words. Gently bringing her down with him so she was sat on his knee. “The wasting has returned…” he whispered mostly to himself, before turning his attention back to Avani. “I do not know how you explain something so awful… but I know that your sister will make it through. You spent much of our evening trip out the other night telling me how strong she is to live here amongst my people. So she will take that and she will fight to return to you, to her surviving son. If she is half the mother you are then she’ll return to him.”

((Night))

"I may be, as I get older, beneath the weight of two children under the age of ten and the impending doom of what it means to be a grandfather. They don't know how I would react to it all." Aodhän answered, the attempted lightness not managing to fight it's way through the exhaustion. Leading her quietly out of the room, and towards their own.

---

"My family have lost too much. This - this seems like an awful lot of suffering in penance for my brothers naivety." Avani mumbled, brushing her thumb against the space between his shoulder blades to give her something to focus on  "I am sorry for asking for you, I know I am risking you being hurt. I just... I needed you, I- I think. Tell me of your morning, please?"

“The door is locked, and you are a woman who has just experienced a great loss, and almost suffered another in front of your own eyes. The trauma has made you feel shaky and unsafe, so you summoned your guard to be in the quarters to ensure you are safe whilst you tend to your sister…” Ruairi laid out his explanation as he gently brushed a hand through her hair. “As for my morning… no less grim than what you have experienced, unfortunately.”

---

On their way, Isolde caught the attention of one of their staff, instructing Florence to be summoned to their rooms.

Avani leant her head to rest it against his shoulder with a shaky out breath. "It has? Oh... are you okay? What - What has happened?"

---

“Wyatt’s soldiers returned half dead, and he did not. They were ambushed, out numbered. There’s at least twice as many wolves than we anticipated; and they’re organised. It’s not just a handful of idiots causing mischief.” Ruairi sighed deeply, “Aoife won’t clear me for full duty, nor half of the men that were East with us. She is still saying the exhaustion is too deep in our bones and we will just be serving ourselves up as meals.”

"That's..." Avani shook her head, lifting her hand up to rest her palm against his cheek. Fingers brushing skin in silent comfort before dropping her hand back down to her lap, "You should listen to your healer. If your boss has been killed, going in there when you are not strong enough is not going to be of any advantage."

---

"What a terrible morning." Aodhän grimaced as they stepped into their rooms. "Florence is going to be... suitably dramatic with this news."

“Her husband is probably being mauled as we speak… I think dramatic is about the right reaction. It is just the horrific timing of it all.”

---

“I think I’m severely underestimated when it comes to what I can do. I feel perfectly able.”