Hope Falls

“You know I can protect you don’t you? That you are safe?”

---

“Isolde is - well shit.” Wyatt sat down heavily. “I - it’s been twenty years. Not a single new case. And now - Gods. What has she done to anger the Ancestors so?”

---

“What promise, that you shall always have playtime with your son?” Indira hummed softly, kissing the top of the boys head as she glanced over her shoulder to check on her own son.

---

“But we cannot let Mor know anything is wrong in the mean time. It is a balancing act.”

"When she dies," Aoife continued, "Because you and I both know there no curing this then Aodhän will parade Lily and I to the centre of the city and execute us for gross misconduct. He will tell the people that it is our fault, that we did not listen or see the signs and that we are frauds of our trade. When Isolde dies, so shall I."

---

"Mhm;" Avani hummed her confirmation, brushing the back of her hand against his cheek affectionately. "Is there anything deeper in this? What has scared you?"

---

"That Mehan won't ever be able to cut it short, yes."

---

"A balancing act we'll manage. We have so far, tell Kael tonight and it is one less person we have to pretend in front of. Mor won't work it out, she only knows stories of the wasting, not what it looks like in reality."

“I know this is not your first child, nowhere near. But the act itself can still kill you. I heard the scramble to keep your sister from dying.”

---

“He cannot do that. He isn’t fucking King. Kael wouldn’t allow it Aoife. You treated Nerissa and she died, if he was that way inclined you’d have been dead by now.”

---

“I hope never does… that he doesn’t enact what we all fear he will.”

---

“We will need to anticipate the many questions she will have.”

"We don't know how Kael will react, if he will be too beside himself to stop it or if he will be as equally as angry. Blinded by the grief in either case. Aodhän will do it, there was a promise in his eyes." Aoife whispered, cocking her head as the pot began to whistle. "Not long now."

---

"Kiaan is finding a way to kill him, Indira. Kill the man before he gets the chance."

---

"I...." Avani began, shaking her head with a laugh. "You heal me, I think you have patched up the cracks and then you say something that I have never thought a man would ever say to me. I'll be fine, I have birthed five children and am still breathing. It is what I was born for, made for."

---

"She will think of one we never could, even with all the planning the ancestors allow."

(( Night night))

“Kael won’t allow it, and if I have to talk him round then I will. I won’t be allowing your execution over something you could not control. I’ll resign if I have to.”

---

“I - what? No. You - what about Zoya? She wouldn’t - “ Indira frowned, completely taken aback as she moved to her feet. Bouncing her nephew for a few moments before disappearing into her room to rest the baby in Idris’ crib.

---

“But what if you are not? The thought of anything happening to you terrifies me Avani.”

---

“I hate the thought of her growing up without a mother… No child should suffer the fate…”

"Your job is to jump on front of swords, arrows, to protect a King. Your job is to be alongside him in a war and from what I have seen if war arrives Kael will be heading an army not standing near it's tail end like a coward." Avani countered with a soft voice. "You've fought in many a battle before though, despite the lack you talk of it. The only difference is child birth does not give me the occasional nightmare the way your past sometimes seem to do for you." She flattened her palm against his cheek, brushing her her thumb against his face.

---

"You don't have power, even as Lord Wyatt." Aoife laughed humourlessly. "It is better just to accept the fate, better that energy be spent on other things. I just wish they would let me out of these walls so I can tie up ends, I wish he would spare Lily. I have tried..." She motioned half heartedly to the vials, half full or broken. "I have retried everything only to save her from this but, no. We are powerless, Wyatt, all of us."

---

"Zoya doesn't know. Kiaan, me and now Rohan too." Ishaan whispered, frowning as she took the child away to rest. Waiting for her return before continuing, "It is him or me, Indira."

---

"It - They'll be okay, both of the girls. They are like you."

“Kael and I have a good - great - relationship. I won’t allow your execution, I promise, Aoife. I’ll use whatever sway I have for you.”

---

“I can still worry for you Avani. I’m - I have seen how it can go. And whilst sad it was never my own loss. Now it would be.”

---

“You - you…” Indira shook her head sadly,‘moving to sit down and pull her fingers through her hair. “You are asking me to choose between you living and betraying my friend. And of course I choose your life but you have to understand how this is for me.”

---

“I do not want them to be okay. I want them to thrive.”

"I am not asking you to betrayed her. Zoya is not stupid, I am sure she can see what her fathers intentions are too. When we return home we will have to be working on another child." Ishaan whispered. "She loves her rather, but she'll want her child to have a father for their whole lives too."

---

"I can help them do that." Aodhän swallowed.

---

"You have a lions heart," Avani hummed affectionately. Encouraging, then, "Send a messenger to let Luc know you can't make your duties today. We shall spend the day in bed, you can soothe yourself by watching me all you wish."

---

"It won't be enough. I am resigned to it... I would rather you use your sway to save Lily. The girl is not in charge, it is not her punishment to take." She whispered, taking the pot off the fire and pouring them both the tea. Sad smile tugging at her lips, "Now we finally see who wins the bey, you believing fresh is better, or me who thought time would make the leaves mors flavoursome."

“I hate that you are forever an ocean away… I hate that it will never be as simple as coming down to the corridor of your room again.” Indira moved to cross the room, wrapping her arms around her brother.

---

“Whilst you are grieving yourself?”

---

“It is neither of your blame to take. If the wasting has returned then we have all angered the Ancestors. It is not your fault.” Wyatt frowned, moving to take the drink with one hand, his free hand resting on her shoulder. “I won’t allow you to die.”

"I have accepted it. Too long in the tooth now anyway," Aoife answered plainly, attempting to flinch away from the comfort in case it would make her doubt her own words. Watching the tea swirl in her cup as she waited for it to cool, avoiding eye contact. "It has been.. fine. Nothing to shout about, mm? It didn't have to be though, I wouldn't have wanted that."

---

"You don't think I am strong enough to hold if together whilst they are around?"

---

Ishaan's arms wrapped around her in return, letting out a breath as he buried his face in her hair. "It is pointless, asking you to come home. I know you won't."

“Here is home now… here is where my son is. Even if what happened didn’t happen… this would be my home anyway. But instead of being his mistress I’d be his Queen instead. Here was always going to be home…”

---

“I think it would be unfair to ask you to turn yourself to stone.”

---

“You do not think you’ve had a notable life?”

"I believe people will speak of me briefly, the old healer... a name that began with an 'A'. That may last for a year, perhaps two and then I will fade into oblivion." Aoife hissed at the ripples in her drink as her hands trembled. "It has been a long, long time since I have had childish fantasies of family and I am not having them now. It is just a reality now that there is none, so when Aodhän has me killed.. it won't take long for people to get over, mm?"

---

"I done it for Kael, I can do it for the girls."

---

"Mistress... mistress is a title he plans to finely give you? How much longer are you going to remain the dirty little secret?"

“Until he decides I deserve the title. Until he decides it is time. Who am I to question him, Ishaan? He has given me everything. I owe him discretion.”

---

“You could have had all that. There have always been men vying for you. Always been men that have wanted you, Aoife. If I recall correctly it was you who ended things between us a million moons ago, saying with me off at war what was the point.”

---

“It is not fair to you. You need to be allowed to grieve me too.”

"No, no, that isn't fair." Aoife laugh finally trembled, lifting her hand up to sip at the tea. "You don't get to bring things like that up, it is - it isn't fair."

---

"I- I can... if I have to. Privately. Like I did her..." Aodhän turned his head away, "I am seasoned at this, I won't be a first time widower. I know how to do it."

---

"How do you owe him a thing? No. There is respect in the title of mistress but not in what he is doing. You need to stand up for yourself."

“I don’t get to bring up things that happened when we were in our twenties? How about decades, centuries, later? Men tried often, Aoife.”

---

“I start with ultimatums and he just ends things and what then, brother? I am as lonely and as left out in the cold as I was before.”

---

“It doesn’t make it fair.”

"I didn't reciprocate any of those! The only men who have shown an interest who I could bare to stand kept ending up blessed with mates. I am the starter before the main course." Aoife laughed shortly.

---

"If you feel that way then he hasn't fewest you at all, you don't feel safe here at all. You need to come home."

---

"Life isn't fair, Sol."

“That’s an awful way to view yourself.”

---

“No… no it’s not.” Isolde agreed sadly.

---

“Feeling safe is one thing. I know I’m safe, he’d never harm me. But I also don’t think he’d choose giving me a title and continuing our relationship over keeping his wife happy and content.”

"The title helps you, your well being and health. I would put it beneath the same branch especially when he was happy to give Fiadh a title when the two of you were to marry."

---

"I waited for you," She finally confessed, taking another sip of her drink to steady herself. "I waited, until the wasting came to it's end and the wars had stopped so I could live in a world where I would be able to allow myself to feel and you returned with a mate. Cavanaugh showed an interest, and it was harmless flirting... we played cat and mouse and then he went away too and and... what did he return with?" She leant back, "All irrelevant. I was good at my job... even if I can't do the impossible, if I can't find a miracle.. I was still good at it. People are alive because of me. So, mm.. that is where we are."

---

"Time to rest. I'll send word to have Kael meet us in a few hours, Wyatt too."

“Because he loved her first. He agreed to consider a marriage as long as I was willing to accept there would always be her.”

---

“You waited… Gods, Aoife. You never said a damn word!”

---

Isolde nodded, moving to curl herself around him like a cat.

"Your mate is better than Rauiri's at least, shs is a nobody who looks at you like you are the best thing to breath. The height difference is almost grotesque though," She laughed quietly to herself. "The two of you appeared content, at the very least. I am pleased for you, I swear it."

---

"He loved you before he loved the woman who wears the crown now. The same principle should apply."

---

Aodhän wrapped around around her, smoothing her hair down gently

“I… I will consider, speaking to him. Asking him to title me officially…” Indira said quietly after a few minutes of thought, pulling away from her brother with shaky breath.

---

“I do not understand why you would never tell me you were waiting. All those years you allowed to pass.”

---

"Do it, because if I have to then I will not be as gentle with him as I know you will be." Ishaan laughed, brushing his thumb against her arm as they broke the hug.

---

"I didn't because I didn't want to distract either of us from our jobs, but now I am glad I didn't because could you have imagined how much of a fool I'd of looked when the mating bond struck?" Aoife swallowed. "Drink your tea. We need to see who won the bet, I think I know but it has to be unanimous."

“You expect me to drink tea when you tell me all this.” Wyatt shook his head with a deep sigh before doing as told.

---

“Will you be okay, when you return? I will miss you all. You and Zoya, and Kiaan.”

"It's fucking awful, isn't it," Aoife finally scoffed with an amused laugh. "You won that bet. Gone off tea leaves- shit. What did we say the winner got?"

---

"Rohan. Rohan too? Kiaan is convince he'll be coming back with us."

“Not something we can enact anymore, that prize expired…” Wyatt chuckled, grimacing at the taste. “Though I enjoy knowing I won.”

---

“Rohan isn’t going anywhere… He’s doing that thing again. Falling for a common woman.” Indira grinned, moving to sit back down opposite her brother.