Episode Four, part 4:
The Other Side

Tears stream down your face when you lose something that you cannot replace. 
I promise you that I will learn from my mistakes. Lights will guide you home, 
and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you.

Wynnlow was sitting in the Quarters, his knees bouncing up and down, biting on his fingernails as he tried to keep himself composed. 

All of the Sovereigns had left the building on Sol's request, giving the grieving boy the time he needed to set things right. 

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, Quill and Elara trailed down the hall together, more than likely wondering where everyone was or why it was so quiet. Hearing them approach, Wynn jumped to his feet, turning around to face his siblings. 

They were surprised to see him there - figuring it would have been a while until he was ready to face everything, but they were relieved nonetheless that he was around. 

"Wynn..." Quill breathed out, smiling a little. He didn't want to startle his brother or overwhelm him and inevitably make him leave. 

"Hey," Wynn answered, unable to shake the nerves that were pounding in his stomach. It was only his brother and sister; he didn't know why he felt so apprehensive to talk to them. 

"Uh, I was waiting for you guys. Come sit down," he continued, gesturing to the couch in front of them. Elara followed her brother's lead, quietly falling down beside Quill as they waited to hear what he had to say. 

Once they were both in front of him, Wynn perched himself on the table, directly facing them as he began to speak. 

"I'm- I'm sorry that I've been so distant since we got back," he kept his gaze down, afraid that if he looked up, they would both be so angry with him. 

"I was scared, but that's no excuse. I should have been here with you both." 

Elara found the strength to smile at Wynn, reaching forward and holding onto his hand, trying to tell him: it's okay. We love you. We're all in this together.

Wynn squeezed onto her hold, doing the same and taking Quill's in his other, finally having them both in his hands; it was the sweetest feeling his heart had felt in a while, and now that he was here, he wasn't going to leave them again. 

"It doesn't matter," Quill said. "Just that you're here now." 

Wynn shook his head, knowing that his brother was putting on a brave face. "It does. I let you down. But I promise that I won't ever do that again. Ares-" he choked on his brother's name, looking down again, struggling to withhold his emotion. 

Elara and Quill were the same, suddenly brought back to the bitter reality that they were living in. 

"He told me to look after you guys, so I will. I'll be here for anything. You know that, right?" 

Elara nodded, overcome by her heartache and leaning forward into Wynn, taking him by surprise as she wrapped her arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder. Without a beat, Wynn held her tight, running his hand up and down her back to soothe her. 

"It's gonna be okay, Ell," he whispered, looking up at Quill as he spoke, making sure he was still alright. He blinked away his tears and nodded at Wynn, biting on his own trembling lip. 

"It hurts so bad. It hurts all the time," Elara cried. 

"I know it does. But you're not alone in this. Neither of you," as he spoke, Elara slowly peeled herself away. She tried to wipe all of her tears away, but it was a hopeless attempt as they only continued to fall. 

Wynn's heart ached for his sister, knowing there wasn't a single thing he could do to take some of her pain away. As he sighed, sinking further into himself, Quill spoke up from beside them. 

"Did you hear what Elara did?" 

Wynn and Elara shared a confused look with each other, not knowing what Quill was talking about. He was smiling - softly, but it was genuine. 

"She knocked Bas out... Proper hit him on the head!" 

Wynn looked at his sister, searching to see if what Quill had said was true. A moment passed and then Elara burst out into a grin, laughter spilling out of her - only intensified when the two of them glanced in Wynn's direction, amused at how confounded he was. 

"You... You did what to Bas?" Wynn stammered, feeling himself become embraced by the contagious laughter that had its grip on the three of them. 

"I knocked him out," Elara giggled. Although she did feel guilty about what she did to him, she wouldn't take it back.  It gave her one final chance to see her brother, even if it was only to see him being killed, and it meant that Ares saw her one last time as well.  

"Remind me not to get on her bad side anytime soon," Wynn joked along with Quill, more grateful than he could ever express at seeing them both happy, even for a fleeting moment, even against all the odds. He knew then that he would do anything to make sure they stayed that way, no matter what it would cost. 

Dividing their attention from each other, someone entered the Quarters, hovering nervously in the doorway. 

Wynn's heart softened at who he saw, and he let go of his siblings, wondering over to Fenn. He didn't even hesitate to pull him in for a hug, feeling all his affection come out once again. After a moment, Fenn pulled back - his sorrowful eyes glancing back and forth between the three of them. 

"I- I came to apologise," he began, unable to speak any louder than a whisper. 

"Apologise?" Wynn asked, not even beginning to imagine why he needed to. 

"Yeah," Fenn muttered, struggling to keep his gaze on them. "I left him. I-I should have been there when it happened. None of this would have happened if I-" 

Wynn cut him off, a hand on his arm - squeezing firmly to silence him. "Don't. Don't apologise. Don't think for a moment that what happened was your fault." 

He looked over his shoulder at his younger siblings, tiptoeing around the facts, fighting hard to even be able to mention it. Wynn turned his attention back to Fenn, smiling empathetically. 

"You loved my brother," he said. "And I know that he loved you, too. A lot. If anything, I should be thanking you." 

"Why would you thank me?" Fenn asked, his voice wavering in misery. 

Wynn sighed, amazed that he hadn't figured it out. "Because ever since we came to the Ground, it's felt like one tragedy after the other, but we've all found people that have made it bearable. People that are worth living for, I guess. For Ares, that was you." 

Fenn nodded, completely losing control of the tears spilling out of him, and once again finding himself leaning back into the younger boy's embrace. 

"I really did," he murmured. "I do. I love him so much." 

///// 

The Sovereigns were gathered together in the map room; it was the first time since the burning ceremony that they had managed to meet, finally finding the time to discuss what their next move would be. 

Despite the unthinkable loss they had experienced, the flood had worked to some extent: just over half of Targo and Riders had been killed when the dam broke, but Rhea and Kane had managed to avoid it somehow, and their drive for Elara would no doubt be more brutal after what Basilisk had done. 

From what they could tell, Targo had gone silent. There had been no sighting of them or message since the flood, but the threat was far from gone, and it wouldn't be over until Rhea was dead. 

"Considering the numbers we managed to wipe out at the river, we should assume that Targo and Riders will try and come at us with equal damage," Kodiak spoke. "I was thinking that maybe we should extend our defences a little further from our perimetres?" 

"What, like have our shooters positioned in the woods?" Sol asked. 

"Yeah. That way it would give us a head start on our defence if they were to approach, rather than trying to fight them off when they're here, where all of our people are." 

"He makes a good point," Dreea agreed with him, waiting for Sol to do the same. 

"Yeah, I'm with you guys. And in that case, we should look at sending a team out to investigate what's going on at their territory. See if they look like they're preparing for an attack, or whatever." 

Kodiak nodded, continuing to add to their suggestions, but he suddenly cut himself off. 

"What?" Dreea searched, turning to Sol to see if she could figure out what had stopped him, but she was just as confused. 

"I can hear someone..." He said, holding a hand up as he tried to listen, both Sovereigns joining in. 

After a few seconds, a realisation clicked, and Kodiak's heart sunk in his chest. "It's Elara," he muttered, flying out the door before any questions could be raised. 

With both Dreea and Sol on his tail, Kodiak ran through the quarters to where Elara's cries were coming from, terrified at what he would find. 

Pushing open the door to his room, Kodiak found the young girl shivering on the floor - horror etched all over her face. Wynn was crouched down in front of her, reaching out to his sister who had finally stopped shuffling away from him, recognising who it was. 

"What's happening?" Kodiak panicked, joining the both of them on the floor. 

Wynn hesitated, searching for any other explanation, but there wasn't one. He knew what it was. 

"She's having a vision."  

Four // Part Four
You loved my brother.

Even for a fleeting moment, even against all odds.

19/04/20