a curfew meant little to the lost prince, who had decided that rather be trapped in a castle - he would take to the seas. (this, a fancy way of saying, maceon would be sleeping on his boat.)

" i would not judge if you chose against the offer, but should you rather not feel like a caged rat under scrutiny, i have a dozen sleeping cabins on the Rhiannon and only three are claimed. make me your best offer. " maceon teased, a small glint in his eye, despite the dire circumstances the tribunal had become.

" cedric will be fine, ginnie, i promise you that. i will not allow anything to happen to him. " was that a promise she could make? did she have the power to ensure such a thing? aurora wasn't sure, but she would do anything to make sure her sister did not lose someone she cared deeply about. she would plead with her parents for genevieve's sake and if that didn't work — she would go so far as to ask alexander to intervene, however he could. there wasn't anything aurora wouldn't do to protect her sister's heart.

she couldn't find it in her to disagree. aurora thought so too. " we should. they don't deserve it, and if we don't either — we should be down there all the same. " aurora mused with a heavy sigh. that would have caused more trouble then genevieve knew, she imagined, if her husband had found out she was wrongfully imprisoned.

at the question, aurora frowned. she wished she had an answer. a clear path to take to navigate her sisters down. " i don't know, ginnie, i really don't. " the crown princess shook her head, " i suppose we can only trust those outside of france. our cousins, for starters. "

"You are the Crown Princess of France, my love. They should be the least of your worries -- if anything you're supposed to feel safest with them," he reasoned, curious about how things had gotten so bad for the French royal family but equally worried for just Aurora's safety. "Being connected to Scotland and to me would only put a larger target on your back, Aurora.." he started, though all he could hear was the fear in her voice. "But if you really think that this is something that you need... we will of course think of a way to make it happen..."

Sighing and running his hands through his hair at the mention of his siblings, he looked at her. "Rora... I will protect you no matter what, you know that. I would happily give up everything - my own life, to make sure that you are safe. I didn't want to burden you with this until later on but with recent events, I think you should know.. there's something that I didn't tell you before we got married.." he admitted, taking a deep breath, not sure if this was the best time to tell her about this but knowing that he couldn't keep it from her anymore. "When our parents died, the Scottish crown was not passed down to the eldest sibling as many others do... instead my siblings and I formed the Regency and split the crown between us, but to do this we all promised to remain unwed - to keep the power split between us without risk of an heir complicating the line of succession.." he knew that was a lot of information but he needed to get through it. "I meant what I said when I proposed... that I would happily give up my crown for you, but I needed you to know about what our marriage means - not only to Scotland but to my siblings, it's something that could threaten the very fragile fabric of our monarchy, it's not something that they will take lightly," he admitted, ashamed of the fact that he had kept that from her. "I don't want to frighten you more than you already are with what is happening. I want nothing more than for you to simply be my wife and to live the rest of my days with you, but you deserve to know the truth of it all."

he wasn't wrong, she did need her sleep. she was exhausted, and yet that seemed to be part of the very thing that kept her from sleeping. she shook her head slowly. aurora wished his words were right, that she could feel safest in her own court. " they want us gone. " the beauty said softly, almost like she was afraid to say the words. even though she knew them to be true. " we only have this constitutional monarchy for my family's influence with spain and thailand. " aurora didn't talk about this, hardly at all — not even with her family. she had kept herself so removed from the political side of ruling; but she wasn't a fool. she knew of the unrest in france, of how her parents chose to step away and let constitutional monarchy come to be. it was shocking to her, in some ways, that her hand had not been offered up in marriage to some prince somewhere — to get her away from her own crown. " and now, with them imprisoned and us free . . . if no target was on my back before, it surely is after today. " and aurora would not blame them in the slightest. she was angry that she was not with them, being treated as equal like she had worked so hard at treating them as such.

she couldn't help the soft, but humorless chuckle that came when he said exposing her connection to scotland would only worsen her situation — he was right, of course. it would. she was not thinking clearly about it, just desperate to find a way to never have to leave his side. " you are right, my love. it would only make it worse. " she admitted with a sigh, using the sleeve of his shirt to wipe at her tears before she looked at him with a sheepish smile. " i only want to be close to you, it seems to be the one place left i feel safe. " not that aurora minded this fact, but it was troublesome given the fact that getting to be by his side was becoming more and more difficult.

as he continued, beginning to talk about his siblings and the monarchy they had formed together — aurora began to realize their marriage being a secret was about more then just how they were political enemies. she sat up a little straighter as she listened. in a selfish way, aurora almost found it romantic — that he broke a promise made with his siblings to have her; but she also realized this meant their marriage was far more precarious then she had known. " scotland could unravel. " aurora said softly, fully realizing the weight he was carrying on his shoulders due to their marriage. the princess realized this was far worse of a situation for him then it was for her. though, she would say she would share all of his burdens and woes now. the beauty sighed, standing from her place in the window to him — moving to sit in his lap, her arms draped on his shoulders. she was not upset that he kept this from her, and truthfully, aurora was not sure the knowledge would have changed anything. she would have still asked him to marry her, even if she had known that.

if there was anyone in the world that maceon thought may understand, it would have been aurora - but now, knowing what he did about her heart && it's former pain, he wasn't sure it was possible. a small, hesitant shake of his head was all he could answer, at first, unsure how much to tell the younger princess. " it was not a life of freedom, despite what you may believe. " despite as he may have allowed her to believe.

" i chased my regrets through a bottle every night until darkness of the mind would finally come. but nightmares plagued my rest until i would fall ill from a mere raincloud. " he began, continuing with a somber voice, yet strong in it's resolve. " when i found out that my parents were hurting spain for personal gain, i thought they were wise, clever even. my chance to stop them came more than once. " none of this were things he'd admitted to her, though he'd never lied about his involvement, either. " and when they were executed, i was running from that same punishment. i could not put down roots, i could not know any real home. do you know what that does to a soul - the paranoia that overtook me, anytime my feet were on solid ground? living a lie, aurora... it is not the blessing you think it is. "

aurora listened, and though she felt sadness in her heart as he spoke of burying himself in alcohol, of running from place to place. she was surprised to hear him confessed to his involvement with the crimes his parents committed and were executed for. he had never mentioned it, and truthfully, she had never asked. " no, i do not know. " she said softly. even if she had managed to run away, her existence would have been far more different then that. she knew about paranoia, about fear, but she knew nothing about running from it. aurora merely lived in it.

" i apologize. i never realized that about . . . your situation. " the princess said softly. " running away would've meant living my truth, and i never considered it could be the opposite for you. " how the roles had switched — for now that he lived his truth, she lived a lie. hiding the most important thing in her life from everyone around her. it was eating away at her. " i do know that. living a lie is exhausting but i would never change the choices i've made. " aurora mused, not elaborating.

although abdullah had never been locked inside of his own home for protection, he understood what it felt like to feel caged. perhaps, metaphorical 'stuckness' was lesser of two evils, paling in comparison to the physical detainment that the princess spoke to, however, they were not much different in premise, merely practice. a subtle, watery smile graces his features, he takes a breath, and in return, for her honesty, he gives her, his. "unless i wish to be jailed, that is, unfortunately not an option for me." abdullah's chuckle is bitter. "i resigned from my position as their commander not two days before the reckoning. of course, the remaining sharmas believe i did so on purpose, to leave them defenceless against the rebels. i...simply wished to leave for love, mostly, and for myself, not for such violence. however, in the chaos they found that i had forged documents to gain my position." a shrug lifts and flattens his shoulders. "they do not know that those documents were not as fake as they believed - after-all, they were using my true credentials and the name my biological parents gave me at birth. all that was a lie was my place of origin." a breath. "so unfortunately, as much as i wish your words to hold truth, if i ever find myself in india again, at least while the current sharma line survives, i will, perhaps, find myself in the prisons i used to guard - i am sorry that your parents made a mockery of your early life, however, it seems to me that you now are free to do as you please, i implore you to take it and run with it."

she was quiet as she listened to his story, to what happened in india between him and the royals there. it was a darker tale then she had expected. " pursuing love is a very important thing, you were not wrong in that. " aurora assured, even if he did not need her reassurance. nothing, to aurora, was more important then that of love. " i hope you have it — your love, that is. " the princess hoped after all that, he had what he pursued.

at the mention of her freedom, the princess frowned. she lightly shook her head. " no, they expect me back in france when this is over. i have only left versailles because they have. " aurora sighed. she would love to run, to take that freedom and flee to scotland with her husband — but that was far more complicated then it sounded. for one, doing that unannounced would surely start a war with blames of kidnapping. " i would love to run — but i could never leave my sisters like that. not without knowing they would be okay. "

aurora could not help but roll her eyes — she did not have this sense of rivalry with her sisters, not a single one out of the three younger. she felt so much responsibility to take care and protect her sisters, but perhaps that was just her kind heart taking control. " fighting amongst yourselves is not a good look, for any kingdom. look at scotland, they found a way without this . . public fighting. he's still your brother at the end of it all, crown or not. " aurora said softly. the princess laughed as he told her not to fuss. " have you met me? i'm going to fuss. " a jest, but also true. she couldn't help herself.

the french beauty shrugged her shoulders at the mention of more important things; they were not things she wanted to think about right now, and anything she did want to — was entirely out of her reach in the moment. " hardly. besides, someone has to do it, oui? at least i have the most experience. "

How did she do it? How had she figured out the perfect way to dissolve the thick cloud of darkness that had engulfed their heart without much thought? Cailean took the offered handkerchief without a word. They rarely needed any words between them. She knew how grateful they were.

“Ye’re too kind, Rora.” She had always been too kind to them, seeing them in a far better light than they deserved. “The blame is mine. While we did all feed off each other’s energy, I should’ve kept myself in control. I should’ve stopped things from goin’ too far. I should’ve made sure we kept the peace.” I should’ve stopped Keiden before he committed this heinous act. I should’ve killed him myself.

They placed the cool, wet fabric against their sore skin, their frown deepening at the sting. “I should’ve made sure we didnae look worse than we already do…”

“ i know, “ she shrugged her shoulders. she was too nice, and it was often both her shining trait and her ultimate downfall. the princess listened, and as she did so, her brows furrowed, not believing for a second that any of the blame belonged to them. “ you could’ve — but did you want to? “ she asked. she would not fault them if peace was far in the back of their mind. it seldom seemed to hold a place in the mind of many right now. peace was the option she would always take, but she realized it was not the path everyone walked. “ you acted on your feelings, that’s hardly something to condemn. I would know, oui? “ aurora smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

she reached out a placed a hand on theirs, squeezing lightly. “ there may be consequences for scotland’s actions, but i believe it will be nothing you cannot handle. “ if anything was sure and true, it was aurora unwavering faith in those she loved and held close. she would always believe in them, no matter the circumstances. “ you look no worse then what everyone currently thinks of the french royals. “ she mused with a sigh.

A package of ice rests on his cheek, aiming to minimize the growing bruise. It does little to better his appearance; curls undone and uncontrolled, lip bruised, and the new silk of his shirt torn at the seams. Elliott looks less like the King he envisioned, and more like a drunken bloke emerging from a tavern brawl. And without Martina, who is left but Aurora to act as the divider between brothers? An act of devotion that she must now regret, judging from the expression on her face. "He started it?" Elliott finally speaks up, from behind the package of ice. "He knows I am the one to wear the crown."

" it does not matter who started it, neither of you should have engaged. " aurora scoffing, knowing full well she could place the blame on either brother if she so chose to. they were both hell-bent on being the king, asserting their place above the other. in fact, she would be first to say they both started this mess. " it was foolish, elliott. " the princess stood before him, arms crossed like a mother growing frustrated with reckless children. she wondered if this was what martina had dealt with before her death, after maceon had come back and things were seemingly normal for a moment. though, aurora believed they had never been normal. how could they be with someone returning from the dead?

chaos, that's all aurora had seen. she had been so preoccupied with stopping her cousins from fighting, she barely had a chance to process what was happening with the other court that held too much of her heart — until it was too late, and violence had been resorted to again. not that she could have done a thing to stop or would have tried to stop them.

she waited, letting dust settle before she found cailean; the bruise forming under their eye. " now, would petit vieux moi do that? " the french princess jested as she bent down in front of them, a silk handkerchief, wetted with cold water in her hand. she extended it out, offering it to the commander. " here, for the bruise. " aurora stayed where she was, crouched in front of them. unbefitting of a princess, but she cared little.

" there's no need to feel foolish. " she said softly. " emotions were high, everyone arrived tense. everyone fed off the energy of each other. " the princess always tried to see the best in people, to see the reasonings behind actions and see people in a better light then they saw themselves. " do not shoulder the blame yourself. "

Nicolette was leaning against the wall of her cell. She did not need to open her eyes to know who had spoken, instead holding her position, pointedly ignoring the assistance offered. "You are able to move around then?" She asked, voice cold.

Before she had become distant to Aurora. Now her tone had become downright cold. They had talked once of symbols, of how much power Aurora had. This was the perfect example. While Aurora existed, was a sympathetic face, an example of a relatable ruler, her image could be exploited. There could be no in between. The royals had to be seen as bad across the board. "Take your food to another. I am more likely to be fed by the guards than they are."

the prime minister's tone was frosty, and it was not lost on aurora. her resolve shrank at the words, they were exactly as she feared when she made the choice to come down here. aurora nodded her head slowly, timidly even. " we were questioned. not detained. " she said softly, being honest with nicolette. she wanted to be transparent, even if she did not know enough to be of any help. aurora glanced back down at the food when she insisted to take it to another. she hesitated, wondering if nicolette was telling the truth or if she was only trying to take care of the others. deciding on a middle ground, aurora took back the jar of jam and the cheese, but left the pastry. " i stole the food, if that helps any. " she said with a light jest. "i took enough to spread it out, i think. " aurora showed the sack she held under her cloak.

aurora sighed as nicolette warned her. " i understand and i see your point, prime minister, but i rather be seen trying and putting forth effort that my parents are not, then hide away as if nothing is happening. " she shook her head, not being able to stomach the idea that someone could consider herself careless and ignorant. even if she was clueless. " the punishment my parents would sentence me to for being here is worse then the anger anyone here could direct towards me. it is a risk, but a risk i am willing to take to show my court i do not stand for this, in what little way i can. " aurora was confident in her words. her parents would surely be livid to find aurora in the dungeons, for any reason.

" i want the french court to know i am on their side, not my parents. i do not care for what they want, for the things they do. " this was the first aurora had ever vocalized such thoughts, she had only ever shied away from her parents side. never had she spoken so negatively, so freely against her parents before. " if i ever take the throne — if — " she emphasized heavily, wanting the prime minster to know she did not want to, " — i do not want to follow in their footsteps, and let people be treated like this. i would be here with you if it was my choice. " she had been wronged by her parents, imprisoned after having a taste of the normal life, and it had changed her outlook on everything. she held no loyalty to them and aurora had realized how true that was now.

the events of the past few days have weighed heavily on aurora, even if she tried to put on a brave face and tried to continue as expected — she could not. she could not ignore how her court had been imprisoned. she couldn't shake the feeling that everything was going to change moving forward, and she didn't have any way of predicting how. at the sound of yujin's voice, aurora looked up. she gave her friend a soft smile, a feigned attempt at reassurance — but she knew yujin, like others who knew her; could tell the french princess was not alright.

the princess sighed, shaking her head as she patted the seat beside her on the tufted bench in the window for the other to take a seat. " no, yujin, i do not believe i am. " she admitted, " it feels as though all i do these days is worry and i am in a constant state of fear. " fear for her country, fear for her people, her sisters — and herself.