Hope Falls

“Or perhaps I just wish for things to be efficient to ensure the men under my charge will be looked after.”

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“As you wish.”

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“Anything we say no to he will only say yes to eventually, so unless it is not something we can grant… I may as well do it to save myself a headache.”

"I hats those three words," Kael laughed humourlessly. "Hate them so much."

---

"My love." Aodhän breathed sadly, pulling her into his lap to move his body around her entirely. Protecting her from invisible outside forces as he pressed his lips to the top of her head. "It saddens me to see your fight gone."

---

"Mm." Avani hummed rather than speaking, hooking her finger around one of his to gently tug him closer. "Let me help you then, the sooner you are done, the sooner we can enjoy the day."

“Okay. No. No we won’t come back to it later.” Daphne sighed as she pulled away from him, “If we aren’t going to wait as you wish, then we discuss it now.”

---

“I can put it to one side whilst you are here, I was occupying free time. And now I am no longer free.” Ruairi grinned, brushing his nose against hers.

---

“I’m tired, Aodhän. With Kael so close to being my successor… there is no point doing things anyway but his.”

"This is important to you," She breathed, eyes fluttering closed at the touch. "This time next year I will have a home with the boys outside of these walls, on every day off you have you can be with me. We will be a family, this place will be my home. I'm getting out."

---

"I want the children, but I am scared. There is no simpler way to put it." Kael answered thickly, reaching out to try and pull her back in as she moved away. "I love you... "

---

"I know, Sol, I know..."

“And I am willing to wait if you are scared until we can seek the safest way possible as long as you promise me that when we are told it is as safe as it can be that we will go ahead... But there is no completely safe way. There are no guarantees and if you - if that is not something you can abide by then I need to know now. I cannot hope for years you will one day entertain the idea and then be disappointed. If you are not willing to allow me to take a risk I am willing to take then you tell me now.” Daphne swallowed, “You tell me now and then we speak to your mother about legitimising your son so he is your heir and we raise him that way… And I can take time to come to terms with your choice.”

---

“I am so tired,” Isolde laughed without humour. “Take me away, Aodhän… Kael insists he is doing well. Let us go away…”

---

“The Queen granted you permission to stay indefinitely?” Ruairi grinned, “You and the boys are staying?”

"The boys are staying here whilst I go with Indira and Kael to release Bodhi, then I will get my eldest two and then that will be it." Avani laughed joyfully, reaching hands to take his face in them once more. Brushing her thumbs against his cheeks, "I am staying, and you and I are going to order in masses of alcohol today to celebrate it. Yes?"

---

"We won't go far, half a days travel at most. Morfydd and Eira wil be fine with the nannies, and Kael to keep an eye. You and I will take a week out." Aodhän planned quietly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Just you and me. I am here, I will not let you go."

---

"I trust you." Kael swallowed, "I - I trust you, if you say it will be okay then... I trust you but the trust will not make all of that fear leave me. Everyone I love dies. I grew up in a war zone. That damage will never be undone, Daphne, and I beg for you to understand that even when it makes me infuriating."

“I can make you no promises… but I will do everything in my power to ensure I do not die.” Daphne allowed herself to be moved as he pulled her. “I’ll do whatever you deem necessary. I’ll sleep in the healing wing until birth if you require it.”

---

Isolde nodded, curling herself into him and closing her eyes. “I am done with taking audiences today… have the rest of them cancelled?” She requested quietly.

---

“Celebrating my mate being allowed to knit her family back together sounds like the perfect activity for today.”

"I wouldn't let you be so uncomfortable, setting up a room for a healer in the rooms right next door though, we will do that."

---

"Celebrating you and I sharing the same country land, you and I having somewhere to go where there are no eyes. Mm, I can picture it. We are getting closer and closer to being able to wake up beside one another every day."

---

"Of course, that isn't a problem." Aodhän soothed softly, tightening an arm around her. Tracing her hair in a delicate line where a line of small purple flowers braided themselves, "Well done this morning, Sol. Well done."

“We will have to make sure your staff know how to keep secrets - I cannot imagine you living somewhere with no staff mm?”

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“Healers in the room next door it is.” Daphne nodded at the compromise, sitting on his knee.

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“I wish to go back to bed now, is that okay with you?”

"The boys will need a guard, but that is all I am going to be able to afford by myself. I will be fine without one, I will... Yes, it will be fine."

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"Okay," He breathed, resting a hand against her waist. "And if - if you go out, if we go anywhere then one should come with you aswell. Always assistance, only a minute away at most."

---

You don't need to ask my permission for a thing," Aodhän assured, ducking his head to kiss the back of her neck. "You go. I will cancel meetings, and arrange our getaway and then I will be joining you."

“No, we will speak to your sister. Have her speak to Kael. You cannot be unguarded when I am not around. I won’t allow it.”

---

Isolde nodded, taking a few more moments with him before pulling away and taking herself to their rooms.

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“Agreed. We consult Seers and Healers before we try… and when we are successful we keep them on hand at all times.”

"You do not start work until tomorrow, Sullivan is exhausted from the journey home nad if we unpack everything today then it gives me nothing to do whilst you go back to work tomorrow." Florence raised her eyebrows with a grin as she touched Wyatt's chest. "Even if I must lose you to Kael, because I can see you miss him, at least invite him here so I can still enjoy your last day off with you?"

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"I am a big girl, Ruairi. The danger isn't as great as you believe it to be. The boys being safe is the priority here, not me."

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"I will organise a meeting with the ancestors, and I - I would like you to come. I don't know who will come to our call, but whether it is Ada, my mother, Dmitri or even Fiadh... I want you to be there, and hear their advice too if you are willing."

Aodhän let out a breath as she left the room, getting up and leaving the room. The door to Kael and Daphne's rooms shaking with the urgency of his knocking only moments later

“If it is acceptable to you, to them.” Daphne nodded, brushing her thumb across his face. “Then of course, I’ll - “ she broke off when she heard the knock at the door. “It’s not Indira, she has permission to come straight in…”

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“It is my priority that you are safe.”

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“Kael likes to unburden himself when we speak, I worry he will not if it’s in front of you. He has had just as hard a time of it as I have lately.”

"I know the knock, he is just trying to be polite. What is-" Kael began, though was cut off as the door was pushed open and Aodhän stepped in. Utter silence filling the room, causing his whole body to freeze, before the door shut behind and his father finally began to speak.

"Your mother is no longer available to cancel meetings, and some of the meetings today have audiences with Lords, land owners. People we have already rescheduled with several times so I am afraid that the two of you are going to have to step in on mine and your mother's behalf."

"Mothers and yours? I don't see why you can't do it." Kael narrowed his eyes at his father. "She came in here telling me that my birth mother believed I was drowning. Banning me form taking up the crown and now last minute talks are being put on my wife and I? No, sorry. I am struggling too much to handle that right now. You do it."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just can't Kael?! And Nerissa is just being too soft on you as she always has been! Just because she is dead does not mean that she is numb from being herself!"

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"I am getting out, a home by myself is the safest I have been for my whole lifetime. The townsfolk aren't anything to worry about."

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"He has, and it is so validating to hear that you know it has been hard for you. That is exactly why you need to take today. The compromise I am willing to accept is he comes to us, and you speak here. I will sit with Sully, or in the kitchen but if you go to them today then you will start work early. You won't be able to stop yourself."

“Prince Aodhän, Princess Indira has left little Idris with Kael today. Would it be too much to ask if we may have the day to spend with him, and take these meetings tomorrow. Our apologies extended to those missing out, of course.” Daphne mediated almost immediately as she extended a hand toward Aodhän to invite him forth into the room. “I am sure whom ever is due to meet with the Queen will understand that we are all in need of a little extra time at the moment.”

---

“You believe I have such little self control?”

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“I will use what I have saved to pay for a guard if you refuse to get someone else to do so. I will not leave you unguarded, it is not a discussion.”

"You love him, like you love Sullivan and that is one of the things I love about you." Florence began with an exhale, "I think because of that love, whatever he asks you to do, you will even though we are all tired from travel. A few more hours, Wyatt, a few more hours where I know you will be at home and they won't send you away to die. Invite the boy here, I won't be nosey... all I want is for you to stay home tonight with your family."

---

"You will not." Avani scoffed, shaking her head. "I haven't- I haven't looked into the finances yet, haven't spoken to Ishaan or worked out how I am even going to get my sons from Rajiv to begin with. I'm not taking your money though, Rauiri, no. You've worked for that. I don't need it."

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"No. The ones I could reasonably do that with then I will, but there are two or three where it is utterly impossible and the two of you need to step up." Aodhän answered, eyebrows furrowing as he stepped further into the room. Only briefly glancing towards his grandson. "Give the boy to a nanny for a few hours, Kael. Your sisters will be under the care of one for a whole week soon. In said week you two will be leading the court whilst your mother and I- "

"Either I am good enough or I am not, you can't keep changing it! Your pissed you don't get to run away, you never wanted ot be in charge you were just a Lord and blah blah blah but I have been told by my mother, Queen Isolde, that the ancestors think I am drowning and I can't do anything until I have mourned my son. I would rather go against you, then the ancestors."

"If you two do not step up then there will be little left of your mothe-" Aodhän choked as he felt his throat tighten. Continuing quietly; "This isn't a negotiation. Do the meetings today, step up from the beginning of next week for seven days."

“A man saves money to take care of his family. You are my family. The boys. I will not have you go unprotected, Avani.”

---

“A meet in the middle then, perhaps. Allow Kael to spend the day with his family, with his son. I shall need to get to know these Lords at some point, if I am to be their Queen. I will take the meetings as best I can, and any I cannot can be rearranged.” Daphne stepped forward, speaking softly to ease the tension in the room.

---

“You are asking me to choose between people I love. You understand that?” Wyatt sighed deeply, “It is unfair when you know I cannot help but choose you.”

"I am not asking you to choose, I have not said those words. I would never use the bond against you." She swallowed. "Go if it's what you want. I am just going to go to bed. It was a nice time away, it was nice feeling like we were people and not pawns."

---

"They are going ahead. I am not doing them and niether is Isolde. I don't give a shit which one of you does it." Aodhän seethed, voice still quiet.

Kael just rolled his eyes, leaning his head back to look at the ceiling.

---

"Finances aren't set in stone yet, so let's put this conversation to the side until I have had the chance to speak to Ishaan. Can we focus on the good today, please? I want to celebrate."

“I will do them.” Daphne repeated, “Have your men send the itineraries to me and I will do those I can, and reschedule those I cannot.”

---

“And now you - “ Wyatt sighed deeply. “And now you are trying to make me feel guilty. Fine. I shall not see Kael at all. Does that make you happy?”

---

“Okay, okay.” Ruairi nodded, “Celebrations only today.”

"I would like to see Kael too, with all he has been through. When I joined Isolde he was only eight or so, I love him too. I would love for him to come here, to us. I would love to fuss over his son if he has him with him. I am not trying to isolate you or make you feel bad Wyatt, I am wanting to be involved."

---

"Send for - " Avani caught herself with a quiet laugh. "Go and fetch us some of the best wines from the cellar, many of them whilst I am still rich. I will send Isolde the money for it all tomorrow."

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"Fine." Aodhän seethed, repeating, "Next week you are both in charge. No negotiations, no arguments." before turning on his heel and walking out.

"He's always been a psychopath I don't know what my birth mother saw, don't know what my mother sees." Kael muttered.

“Your birth mother married him for love?” Daphne raised an eyebrow in surprise, “I know Isolde did but… I did not realise Nerissa did.”

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“As you command, my lady.” Ruairi chuckled, kissing the tip of her nose before heading out.

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“That’s not how you posed it - you wanted him here so I did not leave the room.”

"Arranged marriage, the.. hybrid flowers he can manipulate with a touch that he taught me how to do to. It made his family wealthy generations ago, got his great grandfather lorded and then the children are good enough, the family wealthy enough to be betrothed to a cousin of a low level royal. My father and birth mother grew up as best friends and fell in love from familiarity, all whilst my father went further than making pretty flowers and showed he was adept at making military decisions. Eventually he ended up as advisor to my mother, the now Queen, and you are aware of the rest." Kael wrinkled his nose. "I love him, but I don't. The day I stood in a room and he told King Zaretsky he would allow him to publicly whip me was when my feelings changed. Slaps across the face before that I had never blinked out, commanding Hawk to train me until I dropped was normal, bringing me onto a battlefield to watch a half dead wolf stagger across borders back to Sarika Adair felt like a privilege but it was an image I have never been able to erase. He is a psychopath. I love him, I do not like him."

“I understand.” Was all Daphne could say, nodding along as he spoke. Moving to take his hand and give it a gentle squeeze before pulling him into an embrace.

"No matter what either of us do, in his eyes, we will not be good enough." Kael whispered, wrapping arms around Daphne as he leant into the embrace.

---

"I shouldn't have to explain that I love him too, isn't that just a given? I don't want you to leave too. Both can be true."

---

Avani smiled warmly, resting the quill into it's holder and casting a quick studious glance around the room before looking at the paper on the desk.

“You are not him. And your son will never think of you the way you think of him. We will ensure it.” Daphne promised, kissing his cheek.

---

“It is not how you posed it.” Wyatt said once again, shaking his head. “It is clearly a point of contention now. I shall just not see him tonight. I’ll catch up with him tomorrow.”

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