Re: Hope Falls

**BestNameEva** Mon 2 Sep - 10:28

Avani shook her head, getting to her feet and jogged after him. Closing the door behind herself as she stepped into the hallway and reaching out to catch his hand and squeeze it tightly, "Don't. Don't walk away... please."

"We would have to make it sound much more official then that, otherwise people may scoff at it or try and steal your role from you because they want it. It needs to sound official and dull so only you get to do it." Kael chuckled.

"Fine, mhm." Cassius hummed, pouring himself a glass of water and having a sip of it. "There is no reason for me to be anything other than fine."

**BestNameEva** Mon 2 Sep - 10:32

"The more you believe this man genuinely loves you the more your heart will break when it becomes clear that he is like all the others. Every male is the same, especially powerful ones. They want heirs, sons to carry on their lines and then daughters after the fact to send off and form alliance. It does better to remember that, so you don't get hurt."

Phoenix Mon 2 Sep - 11:43

“Hmm…” Indira fell silent as she contemplated, still brushing her fingers through his hair. “Master of the Kings Interests sounds just elusive enough that it sounds like a real job, but not too obvious that people will determine that my job is to ensure you have enough time in your schedule to relax and spend time with family.” She grinned.

“You have not met him, yet. You will understand when you meet him that he is not like the men we have been warned about. He is thoughtful and kind. He cares for me, he loves me.” Daphne insisted.

“Thoughtful and loving does not fit a man who insists on embarrassing you by raising a bastard at court. Whether or not it was around before you married. Thoughtful does not fit a man willing to risk your child by making you share a bed with him during pregnancy. Love does not fit a man who has changed how you dress, how you wear your hair, who has you so trained you dare not even be honest to us, your sisters.”

“I am weary of the argument and we are getting nowhere with it, so I am removing myself before it escalates further. You’ve already mentioned several times the Why of our upcoming marriage. You are questioning it, so I am leaving to cool down before I tell you that we may as well not go ahead with it. Allow me to leave, please.”

“If you are sure.” Liara nodded, glancing briefly to Conan.

“Take a seat next to me.” Aesira grinned as she pulled away from Marcus and sat back down beside Cassius.

**BestNameEva** Mon 2 Sep - 11:56

"I will stop talking, we will stop arguing. Please, come back inside." Avani swallowed. "I'm sorry. Don't go."

"Master, hmm?" Kael leant back as he laughed, shaking his head at her. "That makes you sound like a wise old man. Is that another part of tricking people into not being interested in the job?"

"Enough now Iskra," Agatha drawled with a bored expression. "She is not listening to us, and we are tired from the journey over here to waste the energy of arguing it more. At least we are now here, for when the heart breaks." She frowned at Daphne, "We just want to protect you."

"Your Highnesses, thank you for allowing me to join you this morning." Marcus bowed his head as he took the seat beside Aesira, hooking his foot around her ankle for reassurance.

"Stay back after breakfast, Cass. Liara and I would like to talk to you." Conan whispered before his attention went onto Marcus. "You are very much welcome."

Phoenix Mon 2 Sep - 12:05

“Master implies I am on your council of advisors, people will always want a job like that anyway. You could make me Master of cleaning up after the hounds and the likelihood is that I would have someone attempting to usurp me for it.” Indira pointed out, grinning at his joy. “I can work on the title if you don’t want it conflated with appointing me to your council, I am sure I can work something out.”

“My heart will not break because of Kael, only if my sisters insist on such hostilities.” Daphne remarked as she moved to sit back down. Sighing deeply as she looked between her sisters. “The journey, you made it without becoming unwell?”

“It was exhausting, but we were not unwell, no. One cannot orientate themselves properly on a ship, we are glad to be back on land.”

“And how are our other sisters? Our brother? Mama?”

“I think we both need a moment or two apart to contemplate the conversation we’ve just had, Avani. Sitting in awkward silence whilst we are both harbouring feelings of annoyance won’t do any good.”

“No Lucian or Karina today?” Aesira asked as she moved her hand to cover Marcus’ on the table.

“He often sleeps for days at a time when he has been exerting himself. Yesterday he spent time walking around the castle, he likely won’t wake for a few. Devika assures all is well.”

**BestNameEva** Mon 2 Sep - 12:12

"I don't want to fight." Avani whispered meekly, pleading grip still tight. "I love you."

"No, no. I would be absolutely honoured for you to be a member of my council. It is a conversation I need to have with Daphne, of course, the two of us will be a team but if we work something out.. would you want to be?"

"The body takes a long time to heal from injuries like that, and quite often regaining mobility is the hardest part. Building up muscles can take years, he is doing incredibly well to be walking around the castle already. Most would only manage a few steps across a room." Marcus hummed

"Luca has always been out of the ordinary."

Phoenix Mon 2 Sep - 12:18

“On your council of advisors? You would trust me so? I’d be honoured, Kael. A true position at court that’s not just your mothers prisoner or mother of your son…”

“Nor do I. But at the moment it is what has happened, I think we both just need some time to reflect on it. It doesn’t change how I feel about you Avani, I still love you.”

“Is it not a sign he is pushing himself too far, if he goes so hard he collapses for days afterward? Is someone not telling him to hold back a little to not hurt himself further?”

“Have you ever tried telling Lucian he cannot do something?” Liara chuckled.

**BestNameEva** Mon 2 Sep - 12:34

"Your perspective, along with Daphne's. Two powerful women who understand two seperate Eastern cultures, what matters the most to them. Your knowledge is exactly what I would like to hear, to use to help my people. I imagine it will be hard, it'll upset some people but if your willing to battle through that..."

Avani swallowed, dropping his hand. "Okay."

Phoenix Mon 2 Sep - 12:49

“I’ve spent almost a decade battling other people’s opinions and not liking the fact I exist here.” Indira chuckled rising to her feet and throwing her arms around him. “Thank you, for giving me the opportunity to be more than just another woman ghosting around your court without purpose.” She moved her head to kiss his cheek with a grin. “Thank you.”

“I’ll be in my rooms should you need me, I’ll check in on you later this evening if that is okay?”

**BestNameEva** Mon 2 Sep - 17:18

"I'll be here, waiting for you. Come back as soon as you are ready..."

"Ghost-like is never a way I would describe you, never a way I want anyone else to see you either." Kael hummed, hugging her gently. "I'll speak to Daphne first, when it is all confirmed then I will let you know."

"There are certain people that won't do a thing at all if you ask them to slow down. They have to give it their all, or they will give it nothing instead. I thought you would be like that when it came to getting back on the horse, I was surprised when you waited so long. Though I know now it was because you much preferred looking at my face," Marcus grinned the tease, frowning when he heard Cassius' surprised choke.

"All is well." Agatha whispered. "There is little to say on it all, so it is better not to linger. We would much rather keep to the topic of you, the coronation. What are they making you wear for it? Something suitable, yes?"

Phoenix Mon 2 Sep - 17:37

“It is how I have felt… Avani came here for me but quickly found her time spend with Ruairi, and then her children. Gone are the days where you and I could fill our time together, for one reason or another. Idris does not need me as much as he once did, and less so every day… And even with my brother being here, he spends most of his day off being nefarious I imagine.” Indira let out an amused laugh with a shake of her head as she jested, “Or he is simply spending the day cleaning up the messes my nephews leave behind both physically and verbally, and at night I know he has found himself well acquainted with the taverns down in the city. I have few doubts the women know his name by now.”

“I’ll check on you later.” Ruairi promised as he walked away.

“What I am to wear has changed a few times. Kael was measured once and has had one or two alterations for his robes. My body changes too quickly for them to quite make things work so I am getting measured once a week now so they can keep on top of things. I’m sure it’ll look well enough when it is finished.”

“Probably green, no? It seems to be the colour of the court. Greens, yellows…”

“I took so long getting back on my horse because Cassius had the grooms bribed to hide my saddle. Once I found it I bribed them further to get it back. You flatter yourself.” Aesira chuckled.

“This has been going on for longer than we expected…” Liara murmured in amusement.

**BestNameEva** Mon 2 Sep - 18:06

"From what I have heard, Rohan's fascination is with Lilly. He guises it that he is investigating how you were treated throughout the pregnancy but it is clearly more than that." Kael chuckled. "She is uninterested, obviously."

"Very bright colours too, what is so wrong with neutral ones I don't understand. It seems our Kingdom is the only one that appreciates the simplicity of it."

"Of course. I believe you, very much." Marcus answered with a shake of his head, turning a sheepish grin to Conan and Liara then. "Everyone here has been very welcoming, since I arrived. I appreciate it, the hospitality. This is a place I could never imagine myself being."

"Luc," Karina spoke softly, brushing the hair from his eyes as she tried to coax him out of sleep. "Time to have one of those drinks, for your muscles to get what they need. You can go back to sleep straight afterwards."

Phoenix Mon 2 Sep - 18:23

“Rohan is one of few men I know that knows how to take no for an answer. I imagine Lily will be entertaining him just enough without explicitly telling him his attentions are entirely unwelcome for him to continue pursuing her, even if just for nothing more than the conversation.” Indira mused, “That does explain the amount of time he has been spending in the healing wing though. He said he was seeing how the herbs and things you use here differ from the ones at home.” She rolled her eyes with a laugh. “Men mm?”

“They suffered for so long here, apparently the fashions were more muted during the height of the wasting. Isolde insisted on vibrancy once they began to heal. You will not look out of place in whatever it is you have brought, there’ll be representatives from many places, it’ll be a collection of styles.”

“Mm, whomever I marry will need to accept that so much green will not be welcomed.”

“When talent is discovered it must be nurtured, you have done most of the hard work. Just ensure it does not slip with distraction.” Liara raised en eyebrow with a small grin.

“Perhaps later,” Lucian waved her away without even opening his eyes, still half asleep.

**BestNameEva** Mon 2 Sep - 18:43

"Not later, no. If you don't have it now you will be one dose down." Karina pressed her lips to his forehead, closing her own eyes for a moment. "I've got it here, all you need to do is sit up. Come on, Luca."

"Devika allows very little leeway to mean distraction is impossible. She is a ruthless mentor."

"It is hoped we will catch the eye of those from other palaces," Agatha informed, tone neutral though how she raked her fingers through the end of her hair gave away her disgruntled feelings of it. "We are too boring at home, too plain. There is little interest."

"We are all dubious beasts who only ever think of one thing. Dirty scoundrels."

Phoenix Mon 2 Sep - 18:54

“You will be on your third child in under three years, you are a prime example.” Indira pointed out with a teasing tap on his nose and a quiet laugh. “Perhaps you and my brothers can find common ground with the womanising. Scoundrels indeed.”

“Then allow the ladies here to work some subtle changes. It is what I did. I did not wake up one morning and decide to shorten my sleeves and lower the neckline and add vibrancy all in one dress. I made smaller changes each time until I found what I am comfortable between home and here.”

“Mm, lower our necklines and advise the noblemen we are no better than the whores they pay? No. Perhaps we can grin and bare a change of colour and a few flowers that seem to be in everyone’s hair but the rest - no. We keep our modesty.”

“Any man you marry will expect you to bend just a little, Issy. I am not telling you to parade around naked just… allow a little more. Being here, away from all the rules at home… it has made me realise how stifled and kept we were. What we read, how we dressed, who we were allowed to speak to for more than just orders. The staff here are lovely, they are kind. I could not tell you that for certain about the maids at home because they were not allowed to show it.”

“Devika’s regimented mentality has saved many a life, I’m not going to pretend I’m not glad she’s enforcing it with the rest of you.”

“Regimented is the word. The soldiers fear her more than their commanders when they present with injuries from training. They prefer Marcus because he will not scold them like children.”

“One more hour? Please? Just one more hour…”

**BestNameEva** Mon 2 Sep - 19:10

"One more hour, but we won't tell Devika and it won't be like last time where one hour turned into three." Karina sighed, shifting her weight to rest her chin on top of his head. Slipping an arm around his shoulders to pull him against her.

"They prefer me because I am not a woman and it is less embarrassing for them. They don't have to worry about being seen as weak with me, and I am too scrawny for them to want to puff out their chest and prove they are manlier than me so there is no bravado."

"Devika is one of our boasts the way that Magnus praises his chef," Conan mused, "And now we have you to add onto it too, a male healer, unusual. It makes us stand out."

"All of this praise for that man, his staff." Agatha laughed, confusion marring her face. "I just don't understand it. A place can not be so perfect, a marriage to form an alliance can not be such a love match. The stories we hear as children aren't real, they can't be."

Phoenix Mon 2 Sep - 19:20

“Would it make you happier if I told you we had separate chambers because Kael had mistresses coming from all corners of the country each night to be with him? That he had so many bastards I couldn’t name them all? That he holds me down when I say no, he beats me when I speak and he has warned me if the child I carry is a girl he’ll find himself a new wife? Would that be more palatable for you than the fact I trust my husband and I know there are no other women he is interested in, that the child he has was conceived before he even sailed to meet me, that I have turned him down for intimacy many times without even so much as a sigh in response from him, that he accidentally pulled my hair once when helping me dress and he spent days apologising for it, and that he has insisted that this country has done well under a Queen for so long that it does not matter if I provide it with another.” Daphne sighed deeply in exasperation. “Not all men are father. Not all men are the ones father chose to surround himself with. And I have noted that even the stuffiest of men will quieten down when you allow yourself to speak and put them in their place… You are acting like Princess Avani. Who came here and attacked Kael with no warning when she first arrived. Go speak to her - we will have her summoned here. Because she was just like you and now she has moved all of her sons over here and is settling outside the city because she loves it here so much.”

“So the way they infiltrate the brain is extensive and is done on everyone who comes here? Good to know.” Iskra remarked drily.

“I’ll tell Kael to take a mistress just to please you at this rate, you are going to be exhausting.” Daphne muttered with exhaustion, “I will allow you all to see for yourselves how wonderful this place is.”

“Mm, you keep trying to poach Magnus’ chef. You best not allow anyone to try and poach Marcus.”

“Tired…” Lucian murmured in explanation with a quiet yawn.

**BestNameEva** Mon 2 Sep - 19:33

"I know you are, Luc. You walked so far the other day," Karina praised warmly, smoothing his hair down gently. "How did it feel?"

"Not whilst he is in training," Conan answered light-heartedly. "I think Devika would have my head if he was sent anywhere before he was ready. Dealing with stakes and contaminated blood are probably very different things to contend with then the injuries we get here."

"Of course we don't want that for you, don't be ridiculous. We are just trying to wrap our heads around it all, that is it. It is - difficult."

**BestNameEva** Mon 2 Sep - 19:39

"There is plenty of common ground your brothers and I can find, but they refuse to let me lay down anchor on the horizon never mind step onto the sands." Kael hummed. "Everyone warms up to me eventually, I don't think you understand how much my ego has taken a hit from it."

Phoenix Mon 2 Sep - 19:43

“It will be less difficult if you do not fight the idea. I know you are all tired - I can hear Zenovia snoring so I assume she has climbed into my bed.” Daphne laughed tiredly. “Please open your mind though, when you do meet him. Please just allow the thought that he may not be as bad as you think he is.”

“Tiring, very tiring… Exhausting…”

“Not at all. You can’t let Magnus poach him even when he is out of training!”

“If Magnus offers and Marcus wishes to leave then we cannot force anyone to stay.” Liara chuckled.

Phoenix Mon 2 Sep - 19:45

“I’m sorry my brothers have been so hostile, truly. I was hoping once I returned home and told them how much I adore you, that you are a good man that they would hear that I was sincere and it was not a performance. That I spoke the truth. I hope eventually there will be more connecting us all than just Idris. That they will allow for more.”

**BestNameEva** Mon 2 Sep - 20:52

"It will take time, one day they will have to break and allow me in though, mm? Anything else is something that I just can't accept."

"I will not leave you," Marcus reassured gently, his fingers interlinking with hers and squeezing tightly. "This is my dream job, you are.. the best unexpected blessing too. I have no intention of walking away from any of it. I promise."

"Men like to say that." Cassius scoffed, narrowing his eyes at Marcus then. "Better not to make promises in the heat of the moment, Marcus."

"Okay, okay, fine." Agatha sighed. "He will have a chance for a first impression. A lot relies on those though."

"Other than tiring, other than the physical exhaustion. How did it feel? Good? Strange?"

Phoenix Mon 2 Sep - 21:07

“That ego will be soothed, I promise you.” Indira chuckled, lightly patting his cheek. “I will find a way to make them soften for you, one way or another. I’m sure if they carry the nonsense on for much longer Idris will have something to say about it too.”

“He will make a great first impression and you will love him as I do.”

“We shall see how great he is.” Iskra murmured, unconvinced.

“Like walking on land after being at sea for so long… familiar but strange.”

“Men say that? I hope not the men you associate with Cassius, it’s not very gentlemanly. If it’s any of the nobles sons I’m sure they’d like to know what the boys are up to.” Liara frowned then.

“Marcus would not lie to me, Cass.”

**BestNameEva** Mon 2 Sep - 21:23

"Of course he wouldn't, like Ira would mot have lied to me." Cassius didn't take his glare off of Marcus. "Aesira couldn't touch Ira because of Karina and Eden, but if you hurt my sister I will pluck every feather from your wings and tar them onto your pretty little face."

"Cassius." Conan scolded. "No threats over breakfast. What is - what did Ira do to you, mm? The boy has left to study, he will be back. Friends go on seperate paths often."

"You are doing so well, Luca." Karina praised gently, "Just to be trying again is so incredibly brave."

"Time will tell. Where is this wonderful man at the moment, if he is so attentive?"

"Oh Idris is going to take over the world when he is older."

Phoenix Mon 2 Sep - 21:31

“It still sparks so much disbelief in me that we prophesied Idris’ existence one night over too much wine…” Indira laughed softly. “I do not know if the powers that be were listening and liked our little story so much they made it reality or if we tapped into the resentments of Seers in our DNA… But I have no doubts about any of its including the part where we foresaw he’d rule the world.” She grinned.

“Meetings, people trying to garner his favour for when he becomes King. Meetings with those he plans to appoint to his council, meetings with his mother, with lawmakers for things he wishes to change… lots of meetings… He’ll be pulling his hair out no doubt, he hates them.”

“They were friends and he promised not to leave and then did, Cass has every right to be upset.” Aesira defended quickly.

“But exhausting…”

Sponsored content