Hope Falls

“Not well enough, clearly.” Wyatt shook his head with an unhumored laugh. “Let us be done with this mm? Talking about it all, when there is nothing to be done.”

Aoife shook her head, getting to her feet and taking the half step forward it would take to close the distance between them. Not a moments hesitation as her hands gripped his wrists lightly, tugging him down just enough to press a deep kiss to his lips.

Wyatt pulled back in shock, shaking his hands free to take hers in his own. Staring at her for a few moments before shaking his head and pressing his lips back to hers, hands moving to lift her up as he slammed her against the wall with fervour.

Aoife swung her legs around to wrap them around his waist, gasping in surprise as her back hit against the wall. Pressing herself away from it, and against him as she matched the kiss hungrily.

---

"You need to get drunk if you are to think of boundaries? Then fine! How does a member of the King's council herald alcohol to her rooms?" Ishaan laughed.

“Benefits of being a member of the Kings council include nobody questioning the fact I hoard wine in here. I have plenty.” Indira grinned innocently.

---

“Do you still prefer me to not be gentle?” Wyatt whispered in between kisses, easily holding her with one arm as he used the free one to tangle into the hair. “I remember that much at least…”

"If I do not leave here with bruises then I will believe you. If I don't leave here with bruises, you do not love well at all anymore. Time to prove yourself wrong, Wyatt." She answered breathlessly

---

"We'll start with a bottle each then, you know what I like."

Wyatt walked to Aoifes bedroom and all but dropped her on the bed, wasting no time - and taking no care - as he all but ripped her clothes from her. Taking a moment to kick his boots off and shed his jacket before getting on the bed with her.

---

“Let me call for someone for the boys, I do not want Idris thinking his mama is a drunk.” Indira laughed, moving to the door and opening it.

"A drunk, no. No, never. He doesn't have to know about the secret stashes under the floor boards, the ones our father never knew about." He chuckled.

---

Aoife quickly tore her way through Wyatt's own shirt, buttons falling from their seams and nails grazing his skin with her eagerness. Lips connecting with each piece of skin that was revealed.

Wyatt moaned under her touch, wrapping an arm around her to bring her closer to him as he pressed his lips to hers deeply.

---

“Floorboards? No floorboards.” Indira chuckled as she came back in. “Bookcase in use, behind the actual books in here.”

"Ah, wise. Does the King know of this?" Ishaan asked with a raised eyebrow, approaching the bookcase and taking a few of the books out to search for the bottles."

---

"Mm," She hummed in disapproval, pushing his head down as she leant back, turning her head to the side to give him access. Arching her body toward him.

“Still so demanding.” Wyatt chuckled, moving his head to kiss down her neck, gently nipping at the skin with his teeth before kissing over it. One hand moving to roam her body, the other moving to cover her mouth to prevent her making any noise - hyper aware of the guards outside the door.

---

“The King probably thinks I drink too much already as it is, so no.”

"Two weeks now, closer to three. No one else seems concerned though, Sira." Marcus was as breathless as his steed as he pulled the stallion up along side his mare, shuddering at the chill of the wind as they got deeper into the surrounding woods where Tadgh often foraged. "You said he does this, mm? Everyone in that castle says he does this. Why are you worried now?"

"He doesn't do this when we have been away, he waits, even when it is the time when the berries are their ripest." Cassius spoke from where he sat upon his own horse, the other side of his sister. "The most he has ever messed up the timings of meeting us was what... one night? Not this long though, never this long."

---

"Kick against my foot again," Devika instructed Lucian, line on her forehead from where she concentrated. Her hand several feet away, and higher from the ground than normal as she tested his progress. "As hard as you can, and I mean as hard as you can. If it hurts me I will be pleased, I want to test the strength of your muscles."

---

Aoife took in a few gasp breathes, biting down to stop herself from moaning with delight.

---

"You have secrets from your beloved Kael, interesting." Ishaan laughed, pulling out a full bottle and pulling out it's cork. Bringing it to his face to smell and humming in approval, "Your taste hasn't changed, good."

“He doesn’t know everything.” Indira chuckled, “I have kept one or two things from him, yes.” She admitted, looking over as one of her ladies entered the room. “Idris? Come here, it’s time to go see your father. You’re been looking forward to it mm?”

Idris came toddling out from his room, toy in hand as he ran with excitement toward his nanny.

---

“I haven’t forgotten how loud you are either. We cannot be caught.” Wyatt warned, moving his hand for a brief second as he placed his lips against hers before replacing it and moving to make his way down her body.

---

“He usually at least tells me when he plans to be away for a while, that is all. He doesn’t tend to just leave without warning, or even notice.” Aesira frowned, “Its not like him at all.”

---

“I am just tired, that is why I’m not as strong as I usually am.” Lucian sighed deeply, bored with the examination already as he did as she asked.

"Have fun, nephew. Enjoy your time." Ishaan called to the child warmly, before wiggling the bottle towards his sister. "Do you also have glasses stashed away for this or are we taking turns with the bottle?"

---

"You love making me scream." Aoife laughed breathlessly as she returned the kisses, nails digging into his back as she ran them down his spine. Her other hand gripping his hair in a knot, "And you are as loud as I am."

---

"We are already deep, I haven't been this far out and we are going the opposite way to the city too." Marcus mumbled, gripping the reigns and coughing as he unsuccessfully tried to conceal a flinch from the sound of birds landing in the trees about them. "We are losing sight of a path."

"Mm, you're right. We'll have to tie up the horses here, go on foot."

"What? No, no. That isn't what I meant."

---

"You were stupid. Going off and over-exerting yourself so much. I okayed you to have a small dance with your wife, not for the two of you to.... have intimate time. It would agonise your back before, but now..." Devika stressed. "Do you want to undo all of your work? You almost succeeded if that was the goal!"

“I wanted to sleep with my wife, something I haven’t been able to do in years, Devika. It was worth it. Definitely worth it. My wife would agree.” Lucian grinned as he slumped back into his chair. “I’m sure the nerves are just inflamed and they’ll sort themselves out soon enough.” He added.

---

“Mm, we’ll have to carry on foot, see if we can see any signs he’s left behind.” Aesira agreed with a nod as she looked around for a good place to stop the horses.

---

“I have teacups. Isolde is fucking obsessed with tea, have you noticed? She has around fifty different plants she uses to make it. When I was pregnant she’d have all sorts of them sent to me. This one is for pain, this one is to help the child grow, this one is to blah blah blah.” Indira snorted as she went to one of the drawers she had a pulled out two of the aforementioned cups.

---

“I did, and I would love to hear it again. But right now I need you to not, or I’ll have to stop.” Wyatt warned with a laugh, shivering against her touch involuntarily. Pressing a kiss to her stomach and lingering for a moment before continuing his way down, fading to black with her.

"This seems like a brilliant way to get lost. It is getting darker in here with all the foliage, can you imagine what it will bee like when it is dark? Can the two of you see in the dark because I know I certainly can't." Marcus grimaced, though huffed in discontent when Cassius dismounted and led his horse to a fallen log to tie it. Disgruntled as he followed suit.

"I am glad at least one of you is brave, though I do fear if the castle was ever attacked the enemy would be too busy laughing at a man cowering behind his girlfriend hoping she'll save him." Cassius teased, smirking as Marcus glared at him.

---

"What qualifies you to determine that, Prince Lucian?" Devika raised an amused eyebrow. "Are you a healer now? Who trained you?"

---

"Tea, where she puts in the fungus that mind controls you, yes. These people are insane, how do you like it here?" Ishaan chuckled. "We really are going to be drinking wine from a teacup?"

---

Afterwards, Aoife let her weight fall heavy against his. Sweat beading her skin as she tried to calm her laboured breath, fingertips tapping a gentle rhythm against his abdomen to soothe herself. "Oh that was - that was much better than I remember it being."

“I shouldn’t have enjoyed that… the idea of even doing that should have made me recoil against the bond and yet…” Wyatt’s chest heaved for breath, hand tracing up and down her arm. Giving her a quick smirk as he pressed his thumb down gently against a bruise.

---

“How common of us!” Indira grinned, wandering back over and passing him a cup before sitting herself back down.

---

“It’ll be fine! What I need you to do is tell Karina all is well so she can allow me to do it again.” Lucian shrugged, “She refuses, and it’s very frustrating.”

---

“Cass, he’s just cautious. Probably counting how many bones we can break whilst tripping over tree trunks.” Aesira chuckled.

Aoife hissed in air through grated teeth at the pain it caused, shuddering against the touch, self sadistic pleasure. "I am glad to hear you did though, enjoy it. I had a wonderful time indeed."

---

"Common? No. That isn't the word for it. Strange is the only one that can fit." Ishaan grimaced. "Everything about this place and it's people is just strange."

---

"You men only think with one thing, common sailor." Devika laughed. "Your wife is thinking about your overall wellbeing at least, it's ashame the women are the ones that always have to do that isn't it?"

---

"All of them, it depends how you fall. Which part of your body hits the ground first, how your spine twists, if you try and save yourself from the fall instinctually which sometimes does more damage then just letting yourself land would do. Would you be falling from standing too, or would it be from height like..." He grimaced as he watched Cassius climb up onto the fallen trunk. "Forest floor foilage can be so thick it looks like solid ground but isn't, you wouldn't know until you stepped onto it."

"All reasons we need to find Tadgh."

“I have missed her! It is a sign of how much I love her!”

---

“If you wish to stay here with the horses I won’t think any less of you for it.” Aesira promised, gently brushing her hand against Marcus’ face.

---

“It cannot happen again… I shouldn’t have. As much as I enjoyed it I - “ Wyatt shook his head, pushing away and sitting up as he wiped his face with his hands. Grimacing as he glanced over the bruises dotting her body. “I - shit. Sorry…”

---

“Kael hates that you keep calling him a tree dweller. Rohan keeps saying it too, Idris has caught on.” Indira laughed softly.

"Has Idris began to call his own father a tree-dweller, I would enjoy hearing that." Ishaan grinned in amusement, pouring the wine into one of the cups for them both as he got comfortable on the sofa once again. "It wouldn't be so fun to say if everyone didn't respond so dramatically to it."

---

"Don't apologise for something I asked you to do," Aoife's teeth flashed with her wide smile, though it faltered and turned into a complete frown when she took in the scrams across his body. "Mm, I'm sorry though. You'll have to tell her you were training or something, I guess?"

---

"I am staying with you." Marcus swallowed, tilting his head towards her touch. "If I let you both go off and something happens, then it will just be me searching for the both of you alone. If I let you both go off, then it will just be me here... alone."

"Hurry up, lovers," Cassius crooned cheerily, jumping down to the other side of the trunk and beginning to walk off of the dirt trail.

---

"That implies you have loved everyone you have ever slept with, and I highly doubt that."

“We rarely - “ Wyatt grimaced. “She won’t see it, I won’t need an excuse.” He assured.

---

“They see it as an insult because they love the trees so much don’t they? It is very… queer.”

---

“All will be well, we know the forest. Nothing will happen.” Aesira kissed his cheek as they walked, taking his hand to bring him with her.

---

“I - you got me on that one.”

"You rarely... What? No!" Aoife gasped, pushing herself to sit up and look at him properly. "By the gods, Wyatt. I never pictured you being stuck in something so boring once you had settled down. How do you survive it?"

---

"Queer, mm. All of them are overtly sensitive. I hope you won't raise Idris to be that intuned with his emotions, he needn't be like father but he needs to have some kind of robustness to him if he wants to get through life without crying every five minutes."

---

"You push yourself too hard, think too much with your man parts when they have only just started working again and they will be gone forever. Do you want that?"

---

"Horrible places, forests when they become this suffocating." Marcus swallowed, squeezing her hand tightly as he fell into step with her.

“I am not as eager as I was in my youth. Another age thing I imagine.” Wyatt chuckled, leaning over to press a gentle kiss to her lips. “I do not wish to make you feel that I regret that you are the reason I regret this… only what it means if Florence ever found out.”

---

“Have you ever see my son cry over words? He only cries when he’s tired.”

---

“The forest is fine, it’s your imagination!”

---

“Well when you put it like that…”

"You were certainly eager then," Aoife eyes fluttered closed at the kiss. "I won't ruin your relationship with your mate, don't you worry about that. The secret will go to the grave with me."

---

"You have done a wonderful job so far then. It's just something to keep an eye on, isn't it?" He mused, having a sip of his drink.

---

"My imagination, mm. Stories are fables, fables are warnings past down through the generations. My grandmother believed in all of that stuff, she was very clear that a story is never just a story it is a s- shit!" Marcus jumped out of his skin at the sound of a twig snapping beneath his feet, Cassius calling out only seconds later; "Tadgh! Tadgh, where are you?!"

---

"Say the words." Devika encouraged joyfully. "They are my favourite words to hear from all of my patients but especially from you. Say it, Lucian."

“I wish home wasn’t so far, so he could play in the pools like we used to in the garden. And spend days sunbathing by the dunes…” Indira mused wistfully. “He will grow strong here, but he’ll always look far too pale to be my son… but then again I look like a ghost myself sometimes.”

---

“I don’t know what came over - well, I do. You did.” Wyatt laughed, taking her face in his hands. “A grave you shall not be seeing for a long long long time, Aoife. I swear it.”

---

“Marcus, relax.” Aesira snorted, putting a hand on his back.

---

“You are right.” Lucian begrudged, rolling his eyes.