Episode Six, Part 6:
W i t h o u t   F e a r

Morning light brought the next day forward into a world where there was a much bigger absence than Wynn could endure. As the people of Basilisk shifted broken rock and tried to rebuild the Sovereign's Quarters, Wynn found himself hiding from the world, afraid of who he would become if he had to face any more losses. 

He was sitting in the hideout - tucked away near the fence - the one that he had once found Sol at. She wasn't there when he sat down, but he knew it was only a matter of time before she appeared, as if there was something about them both being there together that was almost healing. 

As Wynn exhaled, staring out into the Red Hills, the Sovereign stepped down to where he was. They usually sat across from one another on different logs, but as if it was second nature at this point, Sol perched herself down right next to Wynnlow.  

There wasn't any space between them; her knee was pushed up against his knee, her shoulder against his shoulder. It was a closeness they had both been waiting for since the day before, a kindling to rehabilitation that only they could give one another. 

"We still have each other," Wynn murmured, his eyes not shifting from the view in front of them. 

Sol sighed and she dropped her head to rest it on Wynn's shoulder as she whispered back. 

"We'll always have each other." 

//// 

At Ares' request, everyone gathered into one of the rooms in the Quarters, waiting for a time where most of Basilsik were done with their tasks for the day so there was more privacy. 

All three of his siblings, the Sovereigns, as well as Aeryn and Fenn, were together, determined to find a way to eliminate Targo once and for all. 

"We need to make sure it's safe here for Elara. This is just some kind of distraction so her visions get out of control and we have no other choice but to turn to them to help her. We can't lose sight of what's important." Ares spoke, demanding they prioritise his sister. 

"Yeah, I hear you," Dreea began. She stepped forward to assert her authority, a hand outstretched towards Ares to keep him calm. "But we need to focus on making sure they don't come back. If this is what they came up with after a day, who knows what they'll do next time. How many of Basilisk they'll try and kill-" 

"You don't have to remind me of that. I lost two of my family yesterday," Ares snapped. "I'm trying to make sure nothing happens to them," he gestured over to Quill, Wynn and Elara who were all rather quiet, not sure how to approach the conflict. 

"We'll figure it out, Ares," Dreea retorted. "Elara's fine at the moment. She's not our biggest priority," she didn't mean for it to sound horrible, but she wasn't good at letting her emotions come across. Beside her, Kodiak's heart twinged at what she said, but he pushed it aside, knowing what she was trying to convey.

"She is to me!" Ares exclaimed. He glared bitterly at Dreea, looking at both Kodiak and Sol to see if they would side with him. 

"Kodiak? Surely you don't agree with that?"

Kodiak sighed, looking over at Elara regretfully. The last thing he wanted was to upset her, or to make her think that he wouldn't do anything for her, but at the end of the day, he still had duties as a Sovereign - and he had to look out for everyone. 

"She didn't mean it like that," Kodiak stepped forward, defending his friend. Ares was clearly taken aback, not having expected to agree with Dreea. 

"But at the moment, the serum is working. We don't have to worry about the visions right now, we have to think about securing Basilisk. If we can stop Targo from attacking again, or potentially getting into camp, then not only will that protect all of Basilisk, but Elara as well," he explained. 

He looked over at her, an apologetic look resolving on his face. "I won't let anything to you. You know that." 

Elara smiled warmly, nodding to assure Kodiak that she understood what he was saying and that she didn't blame him for doing what he had to do. 

"They're right, Ares," she told her brother. "I'm fine. What happened yesterday can't happen again-" 

"Yeah, you're fine now! But for how long? What happens if the visions come back? What then?" Ares snapped, turning around to face his sister. He sighed, the regret kicking in instantly after. He didn't mean to take his frustration out on her, but she didn't realise how much she meant to him. 

"Ell, I- I'm sorry," he shook his head at himself, cautiously walking over to her, afraid that she was hurt by him. 

"It's okay," she consoled him, shifting close to him as he sat down next to her. After a moment, Ares brought himself to look back up at the Sovereigns. 

"I'm sorry. You guys have to worry about everyone else, I just have my family. They're the only thing that matters to me." 

"We understand," Dreea replied, taking a big step to be the one to forgive him first. 

When things were calm again, Kodiak spoke, but it wasn't long before he was interrupted. 

"Elara's safety is still our concern. But provided the visions have stopped, that allows us to worry about-" 

As he was talking, all of the Sovereigns' radios went off, humming in their pockets. Sol - who had been quite remote in the conversation up until this point - was the first to get her's out, everyone listening in to the caller as they spoke through her device. 

"If you guys are ready to negotiate now, we're listening." 

The resentment kicked in the minute they heard his voice. Almost everyone recognised that it was Kane, looking to the siblings to judge their reaction. 

Wynn looked over at Sol. He wasn't so much worried about what was said, but more that it was his dad behind the words - someone who felt more and more like a stranger every day. 

No one was sure what to say back, or if it was just a game they were playing - trying to taunt them after what had happened. 

"Negotiate what?" Sol spoke into the radio without a second thought. It wasn't a long-shot to figure out that they were talking about Elara. 

"If you hand over my daughter, I'll tell Rhea to stop the attacks." 

Rage took over Ares and he stepped forward, leaning over to Sol and snatching the radio out of her hands. 

"You don't have a daughter anymore!" 

As their older brother lost his composure, Wynn sat up tapping on both Elara and Quill to get their attention. 

"You two shouldn't be here," he informed them, not wanting them to see how desperate Ares was getting. 

Elara shook her head, refusing to leave. 

"Ell-" 

"No, Wynn. I wanna hear this. Ares is right." 

Wynn hesitated but gave in. He didn't have the strength to fight, even if he knew it was for their best. 

"Do you know what you did? Do you? You killed Fabian and MaReya, not to mention several others who had nothing to do with this-" Ares continued to yell at his dad through the radio, everyone in the room assessing the situation. 

"No one else has to die. Now we make a deal-" 

"We don't want your bullcrap dead," Ares spat. "We want you to leave us the hell alone." 

Kane sighed over the radio, trying not to get carried away like his son. "Consider out negotiation: you hand over Elara and no one else gets hurt. We'll leave - The City of Targo and Blood Riders, and there won't be any more attacks on your people again." 

"That's enough," Dreea interrupted, pulling Sol's radio out of Ares' possession. 

Everyone in the room knew how big of an offer that was: for both Targo and Riders to leave. Basilisk would finally have peace and there would no more wars or fighting or survival. But it would equate to how much Elara matter to every single person in the room. 

Realising that he had lost the radio, and how the tension in the room skyrocketed after Kane's statement, Ares couldn't bear to hear anymore. He huffed and stormed out of the room, leaving the door shaking on its frame. Fenn and Quill hurried after him, leaving the room emptier than before. 

"We need to figure this out," Dreea said, a weight of shame on her. She knew it was awful, but they had to consider the stakes. 

Everyone nodded, looking over to Elara as they all understood what she was meant. 

"What?" The young girl asked, uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on her. She turned to her side to face Wynn, expecting him to fight for her, but he avoided her gaze and motioned for the door. 

"No." She said blatantly. "I'm not going. This is about me, I have a right to hear it-" 

"Ell," Kodiak cut her off, his voice full of regret. He had dropped his head but was now slowly pulling his eyes up to meet her. 

She stopped talking, not accepting what she knew he was about to say. 

"You should go." 

Elara glared at Kodiak, her anger resolving a little bit when she saw the heartache on his face, but not enough for her to take what he had said. 

The Sovereign knew that she didn't understand why he seemed to be pushing away. It was just as upsetting for him, but he had to protect her from the conversation that he knew was about to happen. 

Following her brother, Elara stood up and stormed out of the room, wishing that life wasn't so unkind all of the time. 

Six // Part Six
We'll always have each other.