Moonspear with that silver dagger in his hands

dragomir was right.

in arcturus' singular goal to protect the spear, he had hurt those he cared about most. it had been shortsighted and selfish to treat dragomir as if he were a cub. in realizing so, the mountaineer's shoulders sagged. "you are not," he admitted with a certain rueful pride. how could he explain what was going on in a few short words? "hydra turned on revui - my brother." a sadness lingered in the beta's tone, his gaze traveling to the lurking shadow cast by jarilo. "i'm sorry, dragomir."

would this be his final hour? his family come to collect his bones, as their wayfaring, wrongfaring child? a chill crept down his spine as he felt wraen press against him, and felt the combative glare of the collective.

and then she came, wasting no time for pleasantries. hydra, sovereign ruler, bloodkiller. arcturus' hackles rose in a rift to be accused so callously. had he abandoned them? he was here, wasn't he? had they searched for him? "i was just next door." arcturus supplied, unflinching under the burning gaze of the matriarch.

they could have found him, if they so wished.

but they hadn't.

the beta's visage faltered as hydra broke the news -- revui, not dead.

revui, alive.

and out went the metaphorical winds under his sails of vengeance. disbelief first, then a quick glance to those around to confirm she was not lying. it did not change much - if anything, it only further hammered home arcturus had been played the fool.

but she had turned on revui - he had seen it, with his own eyes.

all it took for her to turn on him too, was that one question. was she truly fit to lead? "you attacked him when he was defenseless." arcturus answered; no sovereign ought to strike down the subjects that trusted them. someday she might do the same to him, to dragomir, to anyone.

arcturus came to a revelation as he peered back into the maddening chasm that was hydra's glacier-cold gaze. "you're insane." it all came clicking into place: the whiplash he'd received when she went from his throat to revui's, all the little times he'd been controlled, manipulated for fear of her disappointment.

suddenly, it didn't matter what he said to hydra, to protect the legacy of the spear. she would always refabricate reality. he would always be wrong. stupid little arcturus. she would always twist what had happened, and make it out like she had been right all along. she'd attempted to manipulate him by using revui as a ploy -- and now, she was playing the doe-eyed victim when it was he that had everything stolen from him.

what mattered were the wolves that had never made him feel that way. that had never made him feel childish, or manipulated, or made him fear one misstep. wraen.

they were surrounded by a council of reproachful eyes, and hollow stares. arcturus turned to his friend, filled with an overwhelming gratitude she had stupidly followed him here.

"fuck this place." the mountaineer's tail arched over his broad back as he motioned for wraen to follow him. arcturus felt a daggerprick of fear as he turned his back on the kinslayer, but he refused to give her the satisfaction of ever once looking back.

the only thing he felt sorry for, was leaving those who did not understand. osiris, atlas, dragomir -- maybe even dirge.. but the rest..

fuck the mountain. and fuck the queen.