Hope Falls

"Solitude is something I would be very content with, if I had any kind of choice. I shall let you in a secret, it is what I desire most. To simply be left alone." Ishaan whispered.

"Mm," Aoife hummed, ducking down to press her lips to the crook of his neck. "Try to villainise her, it may ease your guilt for this."

---

"There is nothing you can do," Kael offered her a sad smile. "It's fine - it'll all be fine. It always is."

“Hopefully when your son is grown you have the ability to do what Isolde has - hand the crown over to someone capable and take some time for yourself.”

---

“I cannot villainise her… but you make it very easy to be the villain when you keep touching me like this, Aoife.”Wyatt breathed, closing his eyes at her touch with a shaky exhale.

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“I wish there were… I won’t forgive the ancestors for this.” Isolde repeated her sentiment from earlier.

"They gave us this long, mm? You could have died in the war, I could have died to the Wasting. Niether of us did... they gave us this long."

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"It is not my fault that you have sculpted yourself into this across the centuries." Aoife breathed. "Worlds away from the willow-ey boy I grew up with."

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"For now my priority is being alive for my son to be grown to begin with." Ishaan smiled sadly. "As I have mentioned, my father-in-law is quite formidable."

“War did this to me, I take no blame.” Wyatt wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into his lap.

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“It will never be enough. Call me greedy but there will never be enough time with you.”

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“You will live to see him grow. I am sure of it, you have a good head on your shoulders.”

"You had the perfect dancers body," She pouted playfully. Tutting, "The stage would have loved you before the wars. Millions of people have really missed on."

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"We don't... we don't get to have a choice in these things. Better not to complain too loudly, tempt them to do worse."

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"Mm, I hope you are right. Thank you."

“I am rarely wrong, Ishaan. My husband could tell you.” Daphne laughed softly.

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“What worse could they do to me now?” Isolde laughed without humour. “But I’ll keep it in check, I promise.”

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“I don’t care about others and what they think, as long as someone who matters is enjoying me.”

"Plenty... your soul will be there's. It has to be looked after." Kael whispered, only nodding slowly at the promise.

---

"Hmm," Aoife hummed, brushing her thumb across his collarbone. "I enjoy you very much."

---

"It is good to see you have confidence." Ishaan grinned. "Though I shall leave you to get back to your husband, we have covered all we need to?"

“I will have one of my ladies reach out to you later with times for dinner, we can tell everyone then.” Daphne nodded

---

“Who said you mattered?” Wyatt teased with a laugh. “I said someone.”

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“They have never had a soul like mine. They don’t want to try taking off more than they can chew.” Isolde grinned with a cheeky glint in her eyes.

A trail of clothes left from the main room towards Aoife's spare room, where Lily was residing. Rohan lay on his back on the bed, the backs of his fingers trailing up and down Lily's back as he looked up at the ceiling

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"I matter to everyone. The majority of the people who walk this castle are alive because of me, the walls themselves would crumble without me. You would crumble without me."

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"It is safer not to challenge them, mum." Kael laughed tiredly.

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"I look forward to it. Though it will be hard for them, I believe our siblings will each understand that we have their best interests at heart."

“They will be safe and cared for with each other. The rest… is up to them.”

---

“And I won’t, I won’t. I promise.”

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“Oh you’re very cocky, I forgot this was the real you. Perhaps I should coop you back up in your room.

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“You’ve been awfully quiet…” Lily whispered from where she lay on Rohan’s chest, glancing up at him. “No regrets?”

"No regrets, just peace." Rohan assured softly, glancing down at her with a warm smile then. "What about you, mm? Regrets?"

---

"Only if you restrain me," Aoife almost purred the words, "Only if you make me beg."

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"Yes, yes exactly." Ishaan nodded, getting to his feet and bowing his head in respect. Stating, "Thank you again, Your Highness." before heading out.

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"Good."

“I will at some point, don’t you worry.” Wyatt promised, pressing his lips to hers.

---

“No regrets. None. None at all.” Lily rested her head back on his shoulder, curling into him further.

---

Isolde kissed the top of her son’s head, moving to sit back in her seat with a heavy motion, exhausted from such a brief interaction.

Aoife's eyes closed at the kiss, though she moved to lay beside him rather than deepening it. Resting her head against his chest moment later with a contented sigh.

---

"You aren't just saying it to keep me happy, are you?"

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"Do you need help back to your room? I'll have someone send for Aodhän to go back to you."

“You’ve definitely perked up since you’ve been freed from Aodhän, it’s good to see you back to yourself.”

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“No, no. Of course not.” Lily assured, “I do not need to keep you happy, the saying is happy wife, happy life, not the other way around.”

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“I can manage, I just need a few minutes to work up to it.”

"The looming threat of being paraddd through the streets before being executed certainly makes you lighter, mm. Lily has calmed too, she is still pessimistic and miserable, sharing a bed with me in the evening like a sapling but I don't think she'll try and hurt herself now she isn't alone."

---

Rohan laughed at that, echoing warmly, "Mm, wife."

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"You're sure?" He swallowed.

“You enjoy having someone to mother though, Lily being your sapling at the moment is something you secretly adore, I’d bet.”

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“You still wish that? For me to be your wife?”

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“I’m sure, you may go if you wish, I’ll be out before long.”

"Mm," Aoife hummed, resting her palm against his abodemn. "One was always in my plan, before I took that tumble as you found me with half a tree through my..." She grimaced, "Only you know how much it crushed me when Healer Brighid told me what the damage meant."

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"Of course I do,"

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"No. No I can wait here. I'm going to make sure you're okay. Do you want me to send for Aodhän?"

“I also know that you never even tried after that. I know that she told you it was unlikely, not impossible. But you went and got a cat and resigned yourself anyway.” Wyatt nodded as he remembered, brushing his hands through her hair. “And it was so long ago too… another memory from a lifetime ago.”

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“For me to truly be your wife, not just an escape plan?”

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“No… I want to maintain as much independence as I can, for now. I’ll be relying entirely on people soon enough…”

"I loved that cat and every one that came after it if you judge anymore of my literal children then the next tike you come in with a thousand cuts of stab wounds, or poisoning then I shall mot treat you." Aoife laughed, though it faded quickly as she shook her head.  "A lifetime ago, but a forever effect."

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"Yes," Rohan breathed. "I believe I am falling in love with you, Lily and I swore I would not succumb to whatever witchcraft was placed on this place. For it to happen to Indira, the Avani and now.... it must be witchcraft."

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"Okay.. okay but I am waiting here. Following you until you are in your rooms."

Isolde nodded, taking a deep breath before putting her hands to her face to hide herself as she began to sob - unable to hold it in any longer.

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“No witchcraft, I didn’t even want to bed you, remember?” Lily grinned, “Why would I waste witchcraft on you?” She added teasingly, moving her hand to rest against his cheek. “I could get used to this… Being with you.”

---

“You are an excellent cat mother, I apologise profusely!”

"So you should. Disgusting comments," She shook her head, tone warm. "I just went and got a cat, like they aren't special. Awful. You are right, you truly are the villain. What a plot twist."

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"You only said yes to marrying me because you believe you are going to die, that it won't matter anyway." Rohan whispered.

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"Mum..." Kael swallowed, moving closer to her - closing the last of the gap to pull her in to a hug. "I- It's okay. You don't have to be brave... not this time."

“I said yes to marrying you because the idea sounds rather nice, being your wife. And now I know you aren’t just doing it because you wish to escape, but you want it to continue after… I have already said I rather enjoy the idea of spending the rest of my life with you, even though I believe it to be short.”

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“I am sorry, no - I. You shouldn’t be seeing me like this. I am your mother. The parent is to be strong. I’m your Que - oh, I suppose I am not any longer.” Isolde swallowed thickly as she shook, unable to escape her own cries. “I’m so sorry…”

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“None of them have ever liked me, in my defence.”

"We are family, I am an adult." Kael whispered, rubbing her back gently. "We can take turns being sad, or we can just be sad together if it makes you feel better. Apparently that's good. Fiadh told me once that being sad together always made everything feel less... heavy."

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Rohan turned his head, brushing his nose against hers. "I don't believe I am so interesting. Handsome, mm, but so is Kiaan."

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"You look at them like they have insulted your child, before you even had a child. They can smell your distaste of them, they are not dumb animals."

“I am so very sad,” Isolde admitted with a nod, leaning into him. “For you, for the girls, your father. For myself. I truly believed… I believed I would be allowed some time to be me, to be Isolde once more. I have not been Isolde in so very long. I have been The Queen… And I do not know what I have done to deserve being taken from you all so soon.”

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“You don’t believe in many things, it doesn’t mean they are not true. I do not believe I will live long, you do. Belief is all very relative mm?” Lily pressed her lips to his briefly. “You make me laugh, and I appreciate your intelligence, and your interests in things beside the manly act of war and beating people blood with your fists. I adore the way your face lights up when you find things and name the chemical makeup of it, what makes it tick. And I love the way you are trying to solve all problems that you find. You accept it if a problem cannot be solved, but you will always try before admitting defeat and moving on…”

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“Because I can tell they don’t like me!”