Hope Falls

"I kept a close eye on all of them when we were in the East, none of them had the chance to be indoctrinated." Aodhän shook his head, turning his attention onto Rauri then. "You are trusted, Cavanaugh. You have served us since you were young and never taken a step out of line, Hawk has always sung your praises so right now the truth is needed from you - Why is the Baldruunian Princess trying to rescue you?"

Avani flinched, more dramatically then the grip had called for - used to rougher, more violent hands. Eyes widening betraying the panic as only moment after the flinch she became deathly still.

“Why is she at my door?! Why is she causing chaos deliberately?! These are the questions we need to be asking Aodhän. The trust may be unwarranted.”

“I do not know, Your Grace. I do not know any of it - but as you said - we know that Princess Indira loses herself sometimes, when distressed. Is not being on foreign soil, without her children, witnessing her sister almost die - a perfect culmination of distress? Her mind may be addled and - “

“No. No. It explains nothing. It does not explain her spying at my door. It does not explain why she was listening in! She has not denied it. Being here as an agent of chaos to gather information. She does not deny having turned Cavanaugh in the east. She has offered no explanation as to why she was spying.” Isolde shook her head, narrowing her eyes at Avani. “Do you care to offer an explanation as to why you were listening in to our conversation? Why you have made up a useless lie to defend him? Because I cannot think of one that does not involve the two of you being complicit in a plot.”

"I love him. I - I believe I love him." Avani stammered, still stuff as a board beneath the hand of Isolde's guard. Breathing catching in her throat every few words at the anticipation of violence against her. "Delerium or - or otherwise a man has never been ge- gentle with me. They ha- ave always....  breeding mare, yes? Y- you would know yo- you must do, we all do. I don't want him to loose his job because I love him, b- because he is good a- at his job and l- love him. It is like a tug, I - an- please make them let go."

“You love him.” Isolde stated with a small smirk, anticipating a joke. Glancing over at Ruairi with curiosity as she watched his face go deathly pale. Her own expression changing to rage. A wave of her hand at the guard holding Avani whom quickly let her go and moved to seize Ruairi at the flick of another gesture. “How dare you. Compromising a foreign Princess. You fool. Do you understand what this could do?!” She hissed. “Fucking a married woman is one thing, because you are the husbands problem. But a Princess, a married one?! You have just made this the entire countries problem! She comes here bleating stories about how her sister was violated by us and then you do the same to her?” as she shouted, the flowers burst from their pots across the room, vines making their way toward Ruairi.

“Your Grace I swear I have not - “

“Do you know what happens when Princesses are violated on foreign land?! War happens!” Isolde shook her head, waving her hand as she tried to temper her rage. “Shaw, have him taken to the dungeons. Arrange the executioner for this evening. Hawk will have to understand why I did not wait. I’m sure he will.” She added, watching as Ruairi was dragged shouting his protests from the room.

"No! No! He did not do a thing!" Avani protested, reached her hand up to try and muffle a broken sob. "He did not even know, I swear it. Do not kill him, do not hurt him for my - my hysterics, my dramatics. I'll do whatever you wish, whatever you want just don't -"

“You do not need to defend him, Princess. What he has done is indefensible. And I suggest you do not try. You are no fool. You are aware of how this works. We both know what your brother will do when he hears of this. The same thing I would do if my daughter was violated when she was supposed to be kept safe. My guard will escort you back to your rooms. I can only apologise for my staff.” Isolde added, waving both her guard and Avani away before walking to return to Aodhän’s side. “I do not know how much worse our situation over these last few days can get.” She muttered under her breath, hand going to her head as a headache already began to form. “As if the last week wasn’t bad enough. I do not know how to salvage this.”

"Listen to me! You fucking bitch!" Avani screeched then, stepping forward, away from the hands of the guards. "I am not a fool, exactly, and the man had no choice but to spend time with me. The feelings are single sided; he thinks I am deranged and perhaps he is right. N- no he is tight, of course I am. Do what you wish, se- end me back to where I will ge - et.. Where Rajiv will... b- but do not ki- kill someone who spoke to someone who was not used to kind words. " She gasped in a breath; struggling to breathe through sobs as she thought against guards, "I just didn't want someone so kind to lose their job. I - I just- I - please, please...."

Aodhän grimaced, watching Avani. Whispering so only Isoldd could hear, "I think it need more investigation before we do a thing with him. I think our guest should go home."

“She is too… emotional for this to be simply unrequited feelings. One does not behave this way for such.” Isolde sighed deeply, “But you are right. I’ll have a letter sent to the ports tonight, see who has the next ship out that will be stopping in Baldruun, have her on it. She has caused nothing but problems since being here. Indira is alive and not in danger of dying, she has an army of maids and healers and does not need her sister.” She added before turning back round to face Avani. “Princess, go back to your rooms on your own or my guards will guide you.” She warned once, her tone suggesting there would be no further discussion.

"You are not listening! You are not listening." Avani cried, dropping to her knees, and then lower still until her nose touched the floor. "He's done nothing! H- he has done no- othing."

"Unrequited love, a dead nephew, a half dead sister." Aodhän listed quietly. "A history of family outbursts too. It is not only Hawk that choose these men, Isolde, the military are who I work closely with too. I think the man is soft of heart and that may effect his judgement but do I think he would hurt or mislead a forgein royal? No."

“You were just teasing him about finding love because of how he seemed. But now you believe this revelation is as it seems, it is unrequited?” Isolde shook her head, still in disbelief. “Just tell her whatever it will take to have her silence herself and leave this room because I cannot hear myself think!”

"I teased when it was a job at stake, execution is something else." Aodhän shook his head. "You deal with the sobbing woman however you see fit. I am seeing if our daughters have been disturbed by the ruckus"

(( Night night

“Princess Avani this is the last time I am going to ask you to get up and make your own way to your rooms before my men pick you up and carry you there. This is unbecoming.” Isolde set her jaw at Aodhän’s words, clearly annoyed by him just passing it off to her to deal with. “Get up and walk, or be carried. Your choice.”

"Just don't kill him," Avani pleaded, voice muffled with sobs she tried to silence. "Pl- please just don't kill him."

Aodhän shook his head, taking a step back, but not quite leaving.

“An investigation will be done. Now get up.” Isolde hissed through gritted teeth, the last of her patience snapping.

Avani took in a shuddering breath, trying not to physical stumble as she rose to her feet. Taking several steps backwards; until her back was to the door before slipping out. Moving quickly, quietly, until she was in Indira's room - pushing the door closed behind herself before another sob erupted.

“I want everyone relevant questioned, to see what they know. His friends, her ladies. If there is even hint of anything inappropriate it needs to be reported back quickly. As for Cavanaugh… get the truth out of him one way or another. If he makes a confession, silence him once’s he’s made it to avoid him speaking to anyone further and having this spread like wildfire.” Isolde instructed one guard, waving him off before addressing the other; “Have someone sent to the docks, I want the sailing charter for the next two weeks, whom is going where and who would be willing to take the Princess back home to Baldruun.” She spoke before waving this one off as well, closing the door behind him and exhaling deeply.

---

“Avani?” Indira called through when she heard the noise, sitting up properly. “Avani?”

"Sit down for a moment." Aodhän advised quietly, stood near the doorway of Morfydd's room as he watched her. "Too much has happened, I'll get us something to drink."

---

"C - coming." She called through, choking on her tears as she tried to swallow down another sob. Moving quickly through the rooms to her sister, stammering, "I - I fucked u- up. I f- fucked up I- I thought I was hel- helping but I made it wo- orse so much worse an- and then I- and I don't know why I sa- aid it but I think I meant it and it just...."

“What happened? What have you made worse?” Indira frowned, patting the space on the bed next to her, “It is not like you to cry, what is wrong? What happened?”

---

“Why can things not be peaceful for one moment?! You have been back all of a week!” Isolde exclaimed shakily as she sat down, pinching the bridge of her nose. “In one week Kael has returned married, we have argued with him, we have argued together, Avani has attacked Kael, Indira almost died giving birth to Kael’s children - one of which also died. We have buried him, lost Wyatt to the wolves and had to rescue him which Florence has tried to wreck with her meddling and now we have one of our soldiers either fucking spying on us or fucking a Princess who’s husband is one of the wealthiest men in her country and who won’t hesitate to retaliate if he finds out!”

"He was - he was going to lose his job a- and I was going to lea- leave it but as I walked past he sounded so upset so I thought I could -" Avani stammered, wiping at her cheeks to try and stem the tears. "I lied, I went in there and tried to get the heat off of him but she twisted it and then it was like - like he was spying for us. She - she asked why else I would lie for him and I said I - that I - " She shook her head. "Stuoid, stupid, childish romanticism. Then she sent him to be killed and they are sending me home so I can't even - I can't even be with you like I wanted I - I fucked it all."

"We should put a do not disturb sign on the door, on the entire wing." He scoffed, pulling out two glasses and a decanted to pour them both a drink. Sitting down in the chair beside her and offering hers to her.

“I need you to be more… coherent, sister.” Indira reached to take her hand, squeezing it gently. “What exactly has happened? Because all I understand right now is that someone is to be killed and you are to leave me.”

---

“The Ancestors are testing us. We’ve clearly angered them.”

"Th- the solider... m- my solider. I tried to save his job and I just made it fucking worse." Avani sobbed.

---

"They're testing someone... it can't be us. We've done nothing to anger them." Aodhän took a sip of his drink.

“You tried to save the soldiers job, and now he has been accused of spying for you, she is to execute him and send you home?” Indira asked quietly after a minute of mulling over her sisters words, trying to make sense.

---

“Why are our Seers so useless Aodhän? Why do they never see anything of note? They see the flowers bloom, they see who will get drunk at parties, they see when the rain will fall and when Mor will scrape her knee in the gardens but they do not see kidnappings, they do not see spies, they do not see our grandchild dying…”

"He is set to be killed because the Queen asked how I could prove he was not a spy, she asked why I would defend him if he wasn't one and I - I said because I loved him. Then it all went..." Avani answered hoarsely, pulling her knees to her chest. "He will hate me now, even if they see the light and let him live. I - I will not get to be here for you. I will have to return home a- and - and- I have ruined everything."

---

"Cavaughan is not a spy. He has been with us too long to be swayed like that, believing he has love on the mind is not the same as thinking he is a spy despite your accusation of it." Aodhän wrinkled his nose. "I do not think the man should be killed."

“What if this love is not unrequited? What if he has been swayed because he is in love with the Princess? They had weeks of travelling together to fall. If you do not believe he is a spy, then what do you think is the explanation for all of this? Why she was listening outside our door? Why she was so desperate to save him?”

---

“I will not let them take you from me, send you back. I will not allow it.” Indira shook her head, taking her sisters hand. “I may not be able to fix anything else about this situation but Kael loves me. He won’t allow it, not when I need you so.”