｡･:*:･ﾟ★,"I've overstayed my welcome haven't I?",｡･:*:･

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,"And how shall I entertain you."★,｡･:*:･

Octavia

"It has been a month since Queen Luna has declared a full scale War.." The reporter drones on in the background, my mother's speech playing on loop behind him. It's ridiculous, the amount of coverage they're still giving this speech and not the actual state of war. Admittedly the more political news reporters are camped out in the capitol waiting for the Queen's announcements and the actions of her government. "There has been no news on the allegations against Crown Princesses Stella Siatra in regards to the attempted murder of Ricki Anderson."

I can tell you what happened. House arrest and a second murder attempt. They can't really blame Riven though, the only peace we all had was that Beatrix would be with her mate and daughter. Riven was merely trying to give his sister some comfort and return her beloved to her in death.

Doesn't mean I didn't rip him a new one for getting arrested.

I sigh heavily, turning my attention back to the reports on the coffee table. Progress with the village has been slow. Sky is currently out there with Andreas rebuilding parts of the main buildings. In some awful yet beautiful way the pair have used Bea death as a way to finally move on with each other and grow closer.

Beatrix would be both pissed and proud.

My chest tightens at the thought and exhales in controlled breaths like Silva taught me. The guilt hasn't gone away but it will once I've gotten my sister back. I have to get her back. Andreas had plans to use Rosalind but I don't intend to rely on the bitch for anything other than winning this war.

She was made commander for a reason and with Irene expecting the baby any day now she's the only senior soldier in our corner. What a sorry state of affair that is.

Riven wants to know if he should grab takeout on his way back? Asmodeus grumbles, clearly displeased to be used as no more than a texting service. He says he's not cooking and since neither you or Sky can cook your options are Chinese or Fish n' chips.

Chinese. I pause. I said that way too fast. Oh well, sue me. I've been stewing over these reports for hours and the Burned One numbers are no less smaller. This region still has 22 unaccounted for Burned Ones. The internal area of Solaria has begun a mass culling of them.

Full witch hunt style.

Queen Luna does not hold back when she goes to war. It's unnerving to see her so powerful again. In recent years she has been beholden to the government but a state of war once again forces the coalition of representatives to work together under her command. Rather than competing against each other.

"Do you think it's too soon to put the Bill in?" Stel asks from her place opposite me and I have to fight down my irrational irritation at her presence. Did I mention she was on house arrest with me? In my flat? Well technically in her suite but I have the only other room she's allowed to be contained in and Aisha finally got sick of her. "It could be argued to improve the health of soldiers being drafted while setting the baseline for a Poverty Bill for the Epidórpio poulí."

"When are you hoping to propose it?"

"At the next function."

I shake my head, "That's a fairy dance Stel, no one will actually be focusing on politics." Helios I can't wait for that dance, the utter freedom of it. A chance to relax and reconnect to my magic after all the grief and trauma that happened. If anything it will break from the sudden normalness of school life.

I have to hand it to Rosalind, she sure knows how to run a school while leading a war outpost without mixing the two. Students are back to being students instead of playing soldier. Some are grateful and others are resentful but that's the way it is.

She's annoyingly good at this in fact. My plans for communications have been reinstated, with the over eager specialists relaying information between the outposts along the border between Solaria and Eraklyon. That's where Riven is currently, he had to go on horseback to get through the dense forest but Wisp was more than happy for the opportunity.

"Will your mates be coming to the dance?" Stella asks with a forced smile as she tries to play nice. We never exactly made up after our argument before the battle but we're back to playing nice since there are bigger things to worry about. "It's the Winter solstice so everyone has been invited instead of just fairies."

Apollo above, Winter Solstice. My first with my mates, and my first without Beatrix. I can't believe so much has happened in the ten months of school term, how fast our lives managed to change.

But taking my mates to a fairy dance? They're notorious for extravagant clothing that is quickly stripped to scraps by the time midnight comes around and the real fun begins. Dancing till the witching hour while being fully connected to our power and the life around us. It's dangerous to non fairies and some of the weaker fairies succumb to the power's thrall but Dumaris and those with closer animal roots tend to have smiler festivities that relate more to bare knuckle fights and blood lust rather than dancing and power.

They are the burning wrath to our cunning desire.

"I haven't asked them yet." I smoothly answer, shaking my head slightly as I bring my mind back to the present. "We were going to catch up tonight."

Alone. Without you sister. So we could have some fun.

"Ah." Stella nods, brows furrow as she takes in the implications with a blush. "I've overstayed my welcome haven't I?"

You've been here for a week. I want to fuck my mates now, celibacy is not suiting us. Andreas kicked the boys off the sparring mat because they were either too brutal with pent up rage or too distracted to block baby hits.

She swallows heavily, guilt coating her expression and my shoulders sag at the purple smudges beneath her dull eyes.

"You've been no bother-"

"No, no." Her voice is thick with held back tears and my chest tightens once again. Seeing all those people injured, having people die under her care during the battle really fucked my sister up. "It's okay. They're your mates. I'm just getting caught in your hair at this point and Queen Luna has extended my restrictions to the Library so I can continue work for you while you have an early evening."

The offer is so delicious I can barely muster any excuse or complaint. Stella waves off my hasty apologies and reasons for her stay. Muttering about her plans for the evening and spending the night with Aisha and Terra. I desperately hide the way my shadows darken at the Earth fairies name. I'm still not over that betrayal.

The door clicks shut with a gentleness that is more cruel than a slammed door and I sag back against the sofa, bringing my hands up to rub at my face. When did this all get so complicated?

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ

The three of us barely talk beyond hasty greetings, welcome home kisses and shovelling chinese food into our mouths like a bunch of pigs. Something eases in my chest the longer I'm curled up between my mates on the sofa. There's something so therapeutically nice about being nestled between them, taking in their warmth and support as we just sit together.

Riven sighs dramatically having quickly finished his food causing Sky and I to share a look as he closes his eyes and twists so that his head is resting on my lap and his legs draped over the arm of the sofa.

"I need that. I love Wisp but she can be a pain to control when she gets eager." I smirk, opening my mouth to comment on his words but "-don't twist my words you little perverted fairy. We're having a sweet moment, leave me be."

"I think it defeats the purpose of a 'sweet moment' if you declare it as that during said moment." Sky muses as he steals a spring roll from my box. "But how was your trip to the outpost?"

"Did you run into any trouble?." I question somewhat distracted as I swat at Sky's thieving hands. Riven sighs and cracks open an eye to peer up at us.

"She's fine, you overbearing mother hens." He huffs and I flick his forehead in warning, ignoring his little 'ow' as I knock him off his high horse. "And you're not a mother hen with your constant volunteering on Outposts trips to visit Irene?"

"No, because I'm not volunteering, so there's no suspicion of where I'm going." He smugly replies and I feel Sky stiffens next to me. "I'm discreetly doing things instead of being dramatic one day and just wandering off without telling anyone-"

"That was one time." Sky hiss and I sigh, letting my head drop back onto the sofa cushion as the two begin to bicker. Helios, there's something so comforting about their arguments, something so normal and domestic. Riven shifts next to me, sensing the sadness that weighs me down today.

Grief is odd like that. Yesterday I was up with my boys for our morning run, practising my shields as we went before sparring against Sky and finishing my school work. While today... today I've done fuck all bar entertain my sister and pretend to read reports.

A gentle tug on my hair has me turning to Riven, only to find my face turned back to a pouting Sky by his gentle hand.

"C'mon Octa, I want some attention too." He mumbles playfully as I shift my body to face him fully as I feel Riven begin to brush out my hair from his place behind me. It's become his favourite pastime, a reminder of how he used to braid Beatrix's hair in those intricate braids for her.

"And how shall I entertain you." I question, my voice sort of sultry but there's a tiredness to it that has Sky's eyes softening.

"Well, we need to plan our gift for Irene and the babe." He comments with a smile, stretching his legs out onto the coffee table and draping his arm across the back of the sofa as he watches me with a lightness I'm struggling to feel. "Granted we've left it a little late but we still have time and Riven is running so many supply runs as community service for his arrest that- Ow, stop that, don't hit me Riven- anyways, that he can grab something from another outpost."

"You could pick something up from the village." I comment absently, picking at the frays in my joggers as I curl my knees to my chest. "I'm sure their business could do with our support."

Sky hums in thought, head leaning back so he can peer up at the ceiling.

"There's a few shops still standing, we've been focusing on rebuilding the main community hubs and larger homes first. They've pulled together surprisingly well, there's not too much trouble with distributing rations and finding safe places to sleep in neighbours homes."

But for a second a dark look crosses over my mate's eyes and I know there's more to the story but we have an unspoken rule now. Now that Bea's gone we're all desperately fighting for any normal time as a family, which means not tainting it with talk of war. We're not doing a good job but we're giving it a shot.

"A toy?" I ask and Sky shakes his head, coming back to the present from whatever haunted his thoughts. "We could buy one of those nice crochet ones, or there's a few traditional teddy bears and plushies. They shouldn't be too hard to source from the village or an outpost."

"Or maybe some books, ones with lots of bright pictures." Sky adds in.

"Unless Irene needs more practical things, I have no doubt Andreas and Saul have it covered on their many secret trips-"

"Please don't, I really don't want to think about my parents having clandestine meetings in the dark."

Riven snorts behind me and I hide my own giggle.

"What about a little onesie, one of those cute outfits Irene always goes on about."

"Exactly," Sky points at me with an arched brow. "Irene always goes on about because she's planning the little outfits, what if we offend her by getting her something she deems 'wrong', like its too gendered, or not colourful enough, or too stylish, too tacky, too-"

"Okay okay, I get it." I huff with a smile.

"How about a blanket." Riven pitches in as he begins to braid the left side of my head. "Maybe one of those homemade quilted ones from our shirts and favourite prints so she always have something of us."

I swallow at the thought. Something of Bea's he means.

"She?" Sky's comment comes out tight as he fights down his own emotions but there's something softer about the grief hanging in the air. A shared burden in the face of a new life. "It's a girl?"

Riven sighs dramatically, breaking whatever tension was in the air. "No, Irene hasn' said but I have my hopes."

"Damn, I was hoping for a little boy. I've been wanting to be the cool older brother for ages."

"What about the protective older brother?" Riven comments. "You don't want to have fun scaring off all the suitors and teaching her how to scare them off herself?"

"You don't want to have fun being the cool brother that teaches you all the shit parents don't."

"Are you seriously planning how you're going to corrupt the child before its even born?" I demand incredulously and Sky hesitates, mouth opening and closing as he tries to come up with a response. "You know what, don't answer that. Why can't you both be protective and cool at the same time."

That was apparently the wrong thing to say if their dramatic groans are anything to go by.

"One cannot just be cool, to be cool you cannot have rules or-"

"Are you trying to mock quote Elrond or Yoda right now?"

A/N: Book two / season 2 is underway, what would you like to see? (besides the obvious of beatrix back and alive.)