He watched remorsefully with his heart beat hammering in his ears which had slicked down to lay against the angles of his skull as Jinx exposed her teeth and bristled at him, his body sinking lower, tail tucking between his legs in full blown submission to her, pronounced by the exposure of his throat to her. The pallid Princeling winced as the action tugged at the scabbing wound on his neck but held it nevertheless. It was a rare display, and Ira would have, under normal circumstances hated how vulnerable he was. How stripped bare and exposed inviting a death blow if she had decided to deal it…but this was Jinx; even furious with him she was still the only mother he had ever known and he still loved her. “I went to Swiftcurrent Creek like I had originally asked permission to do but when I got there Bones didn’t answer my calls. Eventually, someone did and told me that she’d been kidnapped, stolen back to Tortuga,” Ira braved a peek at Jinx’s face before diverting his eyes again, his voice calm even though he quivered with his remorse and the sinking and terrifying fear that no matter what he said she would not forgive him.
“I…it was stupid. It was an foolish impulse. I thought…,” He took a deep breath, afraid his voice would crack and not exactly from his puberty. “— that I could save her. It was a grand vision in my head that I would be the hero and that she would come to live in Silvertip and everything would be fine.” Except it hadn’t gone at all how it had played out in his mind and everything was so far from fine it wasn’t even remotely humorous. “They caught me and attacked. I should have never done it. I shouldn’t have disobeyed you just because I thought I could be a hero,” At that Ira did laugh though the sound was harsh and without mirth. “I’m sorry. I never meant…I’m not a traitor. I would never …my loyalty is to you. Only you.” Where he realized it should have stayed only to her from the very beginning. He didn’t regret the time he had with Bones but he did regret going after her. “It was idiotic and it nearly cost me my life. I promise I’ll never do it again. I’m not like that ignorant stupid arrogant cur Majesty, please, please believe me.” He felt like a dirty and hungry beggar instead of a Prince. Maybe he had lost the right to that title. Maybe he had lost the right to everything. He didn’t know but expected he was due to find out very shortly.
"I will do anything it takes to prove it to you," He gasped. "Anything." He was already planning on trying to poison Erika's children if she was, indeed pregnant. If she wanted the babes mangled and bloody corpses he would bring them to her. Even as he promised it he had no idea of any ramifications his pleading might be attached too, though he didn't care at that point. He didn't expect her trust blindly put into him but he was willing to go to the ends of the earth to earn it back...if she would let him, or if there was anything to earn back.
