Hope Falls

“I spent too much time with him over the last few weeks, he’s starting to morph me.”

---

“Let me savour this… you know it cannot happen again…”

Wyatt groaned at the words as he lifted her up into his arms, her legs around his waist as he kissed her deeply once more, unable to pull himself away.

---

“Rahul should go back with you… it will upset Avani, but he cannot heal whilst he is surrounded by nothing that soothes him, nothing he calls home… I should know.” Indira gave her brother a sad smile. “I learned to take comfort in my surroundings because I had no other option. But he does, he has a home to go back to. If he stays here it will destroy his relationship with Avani permanently, and he’ll grow into a bitter, angry man who despises her.”

“Your room has a door to lock in case your guest wakes.” Wyatt pointed out as he carried her back to her bedroom, still in the disarray they’d left it in. Kicking the door closed behind him and using the aforementioned lock with one hand before taking Aoife to the bed and dropping her down. Not wasting a second before climbing on top of her and reconnecting their lips once more.

---

“She is with child, and emotional, it won’t be pretty… but it is necessary to save the relationship she has with her sons. If she forces them to stay here - when they eventually leave they’ll never return.”

“Just once more before this cannot happen again…” Wyatt moaned in between kisses, moving to press his lips to her neck.

---

“They have memories of their father, as he shaped them. The younger ones will forget most within the next year.”

“When I visit you I’ll bring her, and she can reunite with them as young men who have healed and not angry children that they are now.”

“I trust you, Zoya and Kiaan will be able to temper the boys and balance it all. I think they just need to be away from her, away from here for now.”

---

Wyatt turned his head to press his lips to the top of hers, thumb moving up and down her arm. “I never thought I’d end up in bed with you again… never in any kind of dream of mine… This has caught me off guard.”

“I did not think these kind of feelings were something I’d ever be capable of when it came to anyone else, after the bond…”

---

“I think Rohan will stay… Something here has his interest. Maybe not forever but I think he’ll stay for now.”

“I don’t think I can go again, not so soon.” Wyatt half groaned, half laughed as he moved a hand to tangle in her hair.

---

“They cannot be joined at the hip their whole lives, can they?”

“I do not know the reason… I do not know what I thought I knew this morning, mm?” Wyatt kissed her gently before moving to sit up. “I should go…”

---

“Maybe they need the space, to grow as people.”

“Aodhän, I need to speak to him.” Wyatt pulled on his clothes and grimaced at the disarray with missing buttons. “I’ll need to head to the barracks to change first, I don’t have an excuse if Florence sees me like this.”

---

“I think they need to learn to function without the other or else it’ll be worse for them when it is a forced separation.”

“She was barely of an age to be walking the last time I saw the girl, Kiaan doesn’t tolerate children anywhere near as well as Rohan does, I bet he’s horrendously against this.”

---

“I’ll make do.” Wyatt assured, kissing her briefly before getting up and opening the door of her room to exit it. “Shit.” He whispered softly under his breath as he stepped out into the sitting area, Lily sat in the corner of the room on one of Aoife’s arm chairs, knees pulled up to her chest as she stared at the wall.

“He isn’t like you… He isn’t temperate. If Mehan orders him to bed the girl and says he’ll watch to make sure it happens we both know Kiaan will reach for a sword before he obliges the command.”

---

“I will go speak to Aodhän, I trust you have things sorted here… And I’ll get the supplies and food sent to you.” Wyatt swallowed, wiping at his face before leaving the room.

Lily closed her eyes at Aoife’s touch, resting her head against her mentors shoulder with a shaky sigh.

“I am still going to die, only now it will be an embarrassing ritual in front of thousands ok a cold platform as I’m forced to me knees and my head is removed… or maybe he will hang me…” Lily whispered, “O just wanted to go out on my own terms…”

---

“You can always convince him to marry one of Daphnes sisters, Mehan can’t invalidate it since it’s technically an alliance formed by you, the King.” Indira snorted. “The Drivas are rich, tiny land but they are worth more than we are.”