𝓈𝑜 𝓈𝒸𝒶𝓇𝓁𝑒𝓉;

there's  very  little  that  can  be  done  while  the  scouts  and  spies  are  out  on  their  missions,  while  their  people  follow  the  threads  of  what  occurred  in  attempts  to  piece  together  all  they  needed  to  know  to  move  from  there.  helion  just  wanted  these  games  to  start,  to  finish,  and  for  everyone  to  get  out  of  their  home.  all  that  would  take  time,  so  for  now  the  consort  would  do  what  he  knew  could  help  his  beautiful  wife.  when  adelina  does  not  reject  him  and  instead  melts  more  into  his  embrace,  well,  after  centuries  of  this,  helion  knows  he  has  her.  "  then  i  would  ask  my  wife  if  she's  going  to  be  feasted  upon  here  or  back  in  our  chambers  ?  "  his  voice  drops  a  few  pitches,  the  lust  in  his  tone  and  darkening  of  his  gaze  more  than  evident  now.  not  that  he'd  ever  made  a  habit  of  hiding  his  desire  for  his  wife,  his  mate.  feeling  her  emotions  now  from  their  bond  only  heightened  his  own,  a  symphony  of  love  and  desire  swirling  between  the  pair.  "  never.  "  he  agrees  easily,  swooping  down  to  capture  her  lips  in  a  kiss  that  bled  with  the  passion  burning  in  his  veins.  helion  on  pulls  back  to  offer  a  bit  of  a  smirk.  "  they  will  be  taken  care  of,  my  love,  just  as  i  shall  take  care  of  you.  "  it's  a  promise,  a  vow,  and  a  desire  to  focus  more  on  what  he  wishes  to  do  to  her.

she huffs a laugh at the question, smirk curving her lips. she was hardly above letting him have her in the midst of a hallway where anyone could stumble upon them, and goddess knows a few people had been blessed with such a sight. but there were times when she wanted him and only him without the intrusion of another's gaze. " i don't want any intrusions on what you want to do to me, my flame. " her own tone darkens, gaze holding his own as her fingers slide into his curls, holding him close a she meets his mouth with equal heat. adelina lets the bond between them overcome her, lets the love flow effortlessly between them. lets the heat flow there to, the want that she has for him mirroring everything she can feel from him. " what if i want to take care of you? " she teases, lips on his once more before she starts slipping away, catching his hand in hers as she makes the short walk towards their chambers, heart pounding all the while. anticipation brews, heat licking up her spine as she pulls open the door to their room, tugging him in behind her and pushing him up against it once it's closed. " stars above, the way you make me want you, " is all she manages to breath out before her mouth is back on his, body pressed against his own.

"I thought that too. Odd that they're the only ones unscathed." The words lingered as she turned the idea over in her mind. Suspicion was a dangerous thing to cast without proof, especially now, but... "I could speak with Nurbanu. I doubt she would say anything outright if she knows. She's far too clever for that, but she is a healer as well. Surely she would want a stop to any killing." Her certainty wavered just slightly at the edges, but she pressed on. "If nothing else, I can see if she has any ideas on what another court may have done."

adelina hums in agreement, her daughter voicing a concern she had from the moment she'd called the ball to an end. " very. i would worry more for rebels had they not come out of it unscathed. " though nothing could be ruled out yet. there was not enough information to decide anything yet, and she was not foolish enough to cast stones without proof. she nods, stroking her thumb against alara's shoulder before dropping both hands to grip her own hips. " just be careful with her, don't give away too much. she may not be capable of death, but her family very well may be. "

It was a placating smile that he gave the guard, watching as they dipped their head and nearly raced out of the room with whatever grace they managed to maintain. Alistair considered reminding his mother that she really needed to help him learn that trick, it wasn't fair – but maybe now wasn't the time. Still, he drummed his fingers along one of the marble pillars, making his way closer. "Was your tea a bit cold this afternoon? I warned them this would happen. Especially if they forgot the sugar." Jokes aside, he managed another small smile, stopping in front of the queen. "I've been dropping many eaves, you know. Spicy things. Nothing of substance, just dirty little secrets. Should we raid the kitchens and talk about it?"

at the sound of her son's voice, her eyes close, head tilting to the sky as if begging the star goddess for patience. some of her children truly made such a trait elude her at times, though she truly only had herself and her husband to blame for that. they were mere copies of them, their karma for the havoc they wreaked among their own family. " don't you start, this isn't funny. " she warns him, eyes opening to fix her son with a far softer glare than what she'd afforded the guard. still, she can't help the twitch of amusement at the corner of her mouth, hardly immune to alistair's humour. " i suppose i could do with a distraction. you better have some good gossip though, or i'll be sorely disappointed. "

he  could  not  blame  the  queen  for  her  outburst ,  the  sound  of the  star  as  it  had  landed  in  the  gardens  an  echo  many  would  not  forget .  when  news  had  broke  of  the  dead  noble  from  vaeloria  and  the  missing  noble  from  aurelion ,  daelan  had  been  by  alexia's  side  and  it  hadn't  taken  much  to  usher  her  back  to  the  royal  quarters  last  night .  he  catches  the  tail  end  of  the  queen's  anger  at  another  guard  and  he  is  thankful  it  is  not  directed  at  him .  still  he  pauses  in  deference  and  bows  towards  her  as  she  takes  notice  of  him ,  " your  majesty ,  i  apologize  that  i  do  not  come  with  news  of  our  missing  noble ...  but  i  can  report  of  no  other  disappearances  since  last  night . "

she's always liked daelan, had from the moment he'd joined the guard. always loyal, responsible, someone who she could put her trust in to get the job done. that's why she had entrusted him with her youngest, knowing that he would lay his life on the line for her. her gaze falls on him as he rises, nodding once in acknowledgement. " thank you, daelan. alexia got back to her rooms without fuss last night? " she knew that she had, but she still needed to hear her from him. there was a very real undercurrent of fear she holds for her children in this circumstance. if a noble could be killed and another missing under her nose, goddess knows what else people might try. " keep a very close eye on her for me. when there are times of uncertainty, people become reckless. "

Nurbanu winces at the queen's words. "I-I, I've never spoken to either of them before," she admitted. Guilt beginning to course through her at the realization. Could either of them have been good friends? There was no way to know now. Which only made her feel worse. "I wanted to help," Nur whispered. "I... I tried to see if I could heal the fallen, but the guards wouldn't let me." And now, they're gone. Could that have been stopped? Could they still be alive had the guards not fought her? The princess wiped away some of her tears, unable to look up at the queen. "I don't understand why anyone would do this." The admittance was quiet, soft. She has never been able to understand why there were those who took to harming others as easily as others took to reading or flying. How innate it was for them. Her heart was always soft and her mind gentle, she knew this. And she knew that not everyone else was the same. It didn't stop her from wishing that others were kinder. "Is there anything that I could possibly do to help, Your Majesty?" Nur finally looked up at the queen again. "I want to help prevent this from happening again."

her eyes narrow at the knowledge that she doesn't even know the people affected and she has to resists the urge to roll her eyes. why she was so distraught was a mystery to her, though as the princess continues to speak, it begins to paint a picture. she sighs softly, reminding herself of what it was like to be that young, that sensitive to everything that occurred around her. she'd certainly never been a crier in her youth, but she was reactionary. " the guards wouldn't let you because one of them is a healer who had already tried. he was gone already, your attempts to heal wouldn't have made any difference. " she's not cold in her delivery, merely firm in what she knew was true. there was no thing that adelina herself could do, nothing that any of the healers could have done. they were all too late to prevent it. " do not worry yourself, child. watch out for your family, that is all you need to be doing. but if you do hear anything, let me know. "

"ah,  queenie.  scaring  off  the  staff  and  guests  already?"  a  brow  arched  as  the  nobleman  leaned  against  one  of  the  grand  pillars  of  castle  aurelion.  he  perhaps  shouldn't  be  the  one  to  point  that  out,  considering  he  did  plenty  of  scaring  on  his  own.  one  look  in  his  gaze  and  he  sent  others  turning  in  the  opposite  direction.  the  seongs  visits  to  the  royals  were  scarce,  mostly  on  a  need  to  need  bases  and  when  his  husband  wished  to  visited  his  friend  in  the  form  of  this  queen.  despite  his  blase  countenance,  az  understood  the  high  queen's  temper,  like  she,  her  subjects,  including  himself,  were  all  more  than  concerned.  he  wasn't  sure  how  many  were  attached  to  dead  nobleman  but  the  implications  of  his  murder  ―  well,  that's  what  has  az's  mind  turning.  not  just  one  competitor,  but  two  had  been  somehow  the  targets.  the  obvious  would  be  to  assume  their  own  had  something  to  do  with  it,  but  that  seemed  too...easy.  "would  your  mood  be  eased  if  i  could  procure  you  a  mind  reader  or  two?"

she huffs quietly at the words that leave his mouth, turning in place to level him with her stare. " your husband does not tell you often enough how much of an irritation you can be. " although, she's sure the pair of them could say much the same about her own husband. goddess knows she's given helion a little scorch from time to time over his antics with calyx. still, it did nothing to sway her fondness for azriel. it was nice not to be treated as only a queen by someone, but as a friend as well. adelina tilts her head slightly to the side, easy shrug following. " it certainly wouldn't hurt, though i don't know how well that will improve my mood. " for she had plenty in her court that could help her, plenty within her own family whose gifts alone could do the job. it still all left her ill at ease that something like this could happen. " you an your children are all alright? "

lazarus  relaxes  when  sylvie  agrees,  even  if  it  were  their  father's  place,  the  crown  prince  would  worry  for  his  siblings  until  his  last  breath.  aveline  was  much  harder  to  wrangle,  but  he'd  already  swung  through  and  asked  her  friend  to  keep  an  eye  on  her.  the  other  hadn't  argued,  which  left  his  focus  on  sylvie  and  max.  sylvie  was  the  easiest  to  check  on.  the  elder  brother  moves  through  the  room  and  joins  her  on  the  window  bench,  eyes  scanning  his  sister  for  any  possible  sign  of  her  emotions.  "  thank  you.  "  sincerity  rings  in  his  tone.  "  nothing  yet,  just  a  name.  "  which  brought  other  information  but  nothing  worth  sharing.

she's never been one to go against what her parents and eldest brother expected of her. they all held weights on their shoulders that sylvani would not have to bare, it was only right that she could help relieve the burden if only by doing as they wished. she may chafe against it, may not wish to be quite so constrained, but she would never argue. " of course, laz. it's a bit of a scary time out there. " while she did not enjoy being watched, she enjoyed the idea of ending up like lord himlish far less. sylvani nods slowly, glancing out the window at the newly healed garden after the aurelion queen's reaction had scorched it. " how worried do i need to be? "

it  had  been  close  to  two  decades  since  the  prince  has  been  in  his  role  of  ambassador,  but  never  had  he  imagined  they'd  see  a  day  like  -  where  it  would  likely  hang  on  a  thread  if  things  continued  to  escalate.  one  of  their  own  competitor  had  been  killed,  and  while  it  would  be  easy  to  place  the  blame  on  their  hosts,  maxon  cannot  help  but  wonder  if  this  was  a  calculated  move  by  the  culprit  to  throw  their  relations  with  aurelion  into  tatters.  rather,  the  prince  feared  their  parents  reactions,  they  were  already  torn  between  wanting  to  believe  their  hosts  had  been  as  blindsided  as  everyone  or  believing  the  worst.  seeing  his  sister  was  a  relief,  and  more  so  knowing  she  was  still  in  slightly  better  spirits  despite  the  events  of  last  night.  he  returned  her  soft  smile,  meeting  her  halfway  and  taking  her  hand  in  his  before  squeezing  it  gently.  maxon  was  particularly  the  most  affectionate  to  his  youngest  sibling.  "would  it  count  that  this  time  i'm  truly  working  as  i  never  have?"  an  attempt  to  lighten  the  mood,  mostly  because  he  didn't  want  his  youngest  siblings  to  worry  of  him  or  their  elder  ones.  "don't  fret  about  me,  syl.  i'm  worried  about  you  -  i'm  sorry  you  had  to  see  that."  his  dark  gaze  searched  hers.

she does not have favourites among her siblings, her love for them all an overflowing thing that could never be quelled. that being said, she does have different bonds with each of them, all unique and stemmed from love. maxon was perhaps the one she worried for most, the role of an inne circle member not always the safest position to hold even though she knew heir parents would look out for him. " that would be a first. " she jokes, smile pulling at her mouth as she squeezes his hand gently. she has no doubt that he takes this seriously when there is so much at stake, their relations with the aurelion court more fickle now than she'd like. " can i not worry for you just because i am the youngest ? " sylvani questions quietly, though her brow creases at the mention of the body. " i'll be alright, and you need not apologize. there are some things i suppose none of us can be protected from. it just worries me that perhaps there is more to come. "

lake  has  a  very  short  list  of  people  he  worries  for,  it  was  only  irony  that  multiple  members  of  the  vaelorian  royal  family  sat  upon  that  list.  knowing  max  was  fine  –  he'd  be  shocked  if  his  best  friend  wasn't  –  lake  chooses  to  focus  on  the  younger  of  the  valerius  family.  finding  sylvie  had  been  easy,  and  his  soft  smile  weakens  when  she  speaks.  "  i  don't  either,  lord  himlish  wasn't  my  favorite  person,  but  he  hardly  deserved  to  die.  "  he  says  gently,  setting  into  the  seat  across  from  her  with  his  own  drink  –  not  tea.  "  has  anyone  bothered  you  about  it  ?  "

it is a relief to have lakith at her side. there had been plenty of days and nights spent with him in the library, quiet crackling of the fire and quiet conversation about whatever books they were reading the only thing to break their silence. " i feel awful for his family. they were distraught when i saw them. " she sighs softly, gaze flicking across to him as a soft smile of fondness forms. " no, no one's been bothering me about it, lake. people have been quite kind, blessedly. " she's already weaker than she'd like to be over this, she'd hate for people be cruel about it on top of that.

despite  how  she  spoke  to  him,  taria  was  glad  to  see  calder.  on  the  list  of  those  she  actually  gave  a  shit  about,  well,  the  general  was  on  it.  loyalty  had  been  a  difficult  thing  for  her  until  she  met  the  other,  until  she  found  purpose  in  the  eryndor  army.  not  that  she  got  sentimental  and  sappy  with  cal  and  admitted  any  of  that.  "  if  you  wish  to  spar  in  the  morning,  you'll  have  to  reign  in  your  proclivities  of  the  night  or  i'll  have  your  ass  in  no  time  flat.  "  teases  she.

he does not play favourites when it comes to those under his command, each and every one of his soldiers were indispensable in his eyes. but taria was a friend, a true one that he knew better than most, who knew him in return. " even feeling star - cursed the morning after drinking, it will still be you laid out on your ass. " he grinned, clinking his cup against her own before taking a large sip. " still, we should stay sharp. no doubt our queen will be under some suspicion considering no one from our own court was killed. "

sitara  nearly  groans,  of  course  the  oaf  would  find  that  attractive.  "  has  anyone  accused  you  of  being  a  bit  of  a  masochist,  calder  ?  "  the  princess  had  heard  enough  rumors  about  her  sister's  general  to  know  he  could  handle  himself,  and  in  truth,  she  had  no  desire  to  spar  with  him  and  find  out.  sitara  didn't  put  herself  in  unnecessary  situations,  if  she  needed  to  dispose  of  calder  there  were  far  different  and  better  ways.  in  truth,  though,  the  starborn  never  expected  them  to  be  needed.  for  all  his  flirtations  and  egotistical  behavior,  he  was  loyal  to  their  court.  a  heavy  sigh  slips  from  her  lips,  "  you're  annoyingly  cocky.  "  but  it  was  borderline  amusing,  and  she  couldn't  help  but  laugh  a  bit  as  he  pulled  her  along.  when  cal  behaves  with  his  hand  placements,  sitara  nearly  cocks  her  brow  but  chooses  not  to  admit  she  expected  worse  behavior  from  him.  "  far  better  than  the  clumsy  general  my  sister  tolerates.  "  she  retorts,  rolling  her  eyes  but  not  being  able  to  stop  the  small  laugh  that  he  earns.  

easy laughter spills from him at that, shaking his head despite his amusement. " you know, i have been told that once or twice before. a little bit of pain rarely kills anyone. " least of all him. not with his past in place and distorting what may be a regular view upon pain, his life shaped and ruled by it in some form or another. her criticism does nothing to stop the easy smile on his face, only encouraging it more if anything. there was nothing quite like both irritating and amusing someone all at once to get his ego going. " if you say so, my princess. i only meant that it would look unfavourably upon our court for you to deny it's general. what would the other courts say? " he can't help but stir her more, the cockiness of second nature when it comes to him. cal's fingers clutch gently against her waist as they sway, and while his hands remain respectful, he doesn't allow space for the goddess between them. " well, you were trained by fancy teacher, it's an unfair advantage. "

"Half of them, at least," she continued countering, even though she knows Calder wouldn't believe her. He has been in her family's lives for too long not to know better. He may not have endured her antics, though surely, he wasn't ignorant to them. Even if she wished otherwise. Nurbanu scoffed softly at his words... Even though, in spite of herself, she began to hold a light smile of endearment. The princess, after all, wasn't ignorant of his own antics. Nor of the charm he possesses, overhearing a few of her maids giggling to themselves over their attraction to the general. "I see you're not lacking of your confidence, general. Can you be lacking of your retorts for a moment, however?"

" not the half that i drink with. " though he still tended to ensure that when they spoke of their royals in the tavern, it was always with respect. he could deal with ranting about doing the shit jobs, but he would not let anyone utter an unfair word against his monarchs. not when he owed them everything. hands are held behind his back as they stroll forward, his laughter open and free at her quip. " i fear i'm incapable of that, my mouth tends to get away from me at times. luckily, that's not what it's best used for. " he can't help but offer a wink towards her, flirtation as good as his first language at this point. " now are you going to tell me what we're doing or are you trying to be all secretive? "

the  princess  had  never  felt  a  lack  of  love  when  it  came  to  her  parents  despite  the  many  siblings  she  had  been  gifted  with .  how  her  parents  managed  to  care  for  them  all  especially  as  they  grew  into  adulthood  astounded  her .  while  she  would  love  children  of  her  own  someday ,  she  was  not  so  certain  she  wanted  as  many  as  her  parents'  had .  " perhaps  some  of  my  optimism  will  rub  off  on  you  mother ,  i  would  be  glad  to  share  any  amount  of  i t.  we  can  live  so  long ...  i  hope  to  find  out  how  to  keep  life  interesting  and  worth  living ."   just  as  her  mother  but  maybe  the  secret  to  it  all  lie  in  her  children .  " i  am  excited  to  watch  the  games  of  wit  and  intelligence ,  while  i  do  not  discount  martial  games  but  i  am  fascinated  to  see  who  will  win  through  just  the  talent  of  their  mind . "

her smile is a soft thing for her middle child, love bright in her gaze. she was perhaps the least like adelina and helion, to the point where she had once wondered if she'd been mistaken about her paternity. it only made her love asterin more, made her appreciate a different view besides her own. " i certainly wouldn't be sad about it. though i don't think you'd enjoy most of what keeps my life interesting. " she swallows a smirk, all too amused. " though you children are the biggest part of it. your father, too. " adelina would have tired of it all long ago if she didn't have her family, didn't have her children to love and care for and helion to share her life with. " perhaps you should enter the games this year, there's still time. i think you would do far better in the games of intelligence than some of the competitors. "