Foggy Bottom Way One day from forgiveness

Intended for @Hira

His wanderings brought him to a pool of shimmering water, falls splashing in and creating a pleasant atmosphere. It was beautiful on such a bright day, and yet Kemal found it difficult to enjoy the scenery.

Hira.. where could she have gone? Where could she be searching. His brow furrowed, his own mind struggling with the lack of an answer. He felt that he needed to find her, find her before she found Leandros. Before she grew frustrated and returned home empty-pawed.

The man let out a sigh, his tense body relaxing even if only momentarily.

hira moved north from the oasis, now, small body laced with irritation. tail flicked as she walked, gece yarısı güneşi still fresh on her mind. erkek yatakları. the princess scoffed, giving a single roll of amber eyes before she would pause in her tracks. a scent drifted on the winds, riding towards her nose ; a scent that spoke of siena. of a prince.

she moved carefully, now. it was kemal, she knew that much, but what was he doing here? had babası sent him? or had it been annem? dafne had always favoured her sons, just as kaan had with his daughters. the lioness stalked forwards with careful, lean strides, searching the horizon for a sign of her brother. a short search. there he was.

merhaba, kemal, she purred, growing closer. they were similar in the duality of their dark yet pale faces. though kemal shared the pelt of leandros. quite the mix of both king and queen. spoken with a somwhat care that is only present with her mother tongue, she continued: siena'dan uzakta buldun kendini. burada ne işin var? a careful eye.

a breath left her nose. baban mı seni gönderdi? anne altın oğullarından birini göndermezdi. ama beni göndermekten kesinlikle mutluydu. resentment thick on her dark, accented tongue. mother did not favour her daughters ; only princes. but fathers distance was not hatred. he loved them in his own, paternal way. watchful.

like how hira watched her brother now - searching his expression.

A voice reaches his ears, causing them to twitch. Turning his head, he speaks through an exhale. Hira. He cannot contain his joy, the smile clear on his face as his paws carry him towards her. He lowers his head to greet the smaller sister with a touch of the nose.

But, his smile would not remain. Kendi isteğimle ayrıldım. He responds, eyes to the ground. For so long this conversation has run through his mind, and yet he does not know what to say now that he is here. What if she does not believe him?

Or worse, she could side with their parents. I come with news.

In his mind she had gotten along with his wife, so surely she would feel some anger hearing of Narin's death.

ah, so not sent for neither her nor the crown prince. hira returned her brothers touch with a softer fondness after his explanation, feeling almost... safer. she moved away from him, then, when he spoke of news. the princess did not want to look him in the eye. not when he came to her with tales of siena. it could be anything, and that worried her.

tell me, she said once she took in a long, hard breath. i cannot watch you while you say it, but i will listen. amber eyes shut, then. head tilted downwards. ears perked.

He takes in a breath, slowly releasing it after a moment as a solemn demeanor covers him. My wife, Narin, she is dead. His voice breaks halfway through the sentence as it is pushed out of his throat. Cinar killed her, to prevent me from having children.

It was a straightforward explanation, but hurt none the less. Babasi and mother both refused to punish him, so I left. His eyes met the ground, a sense of shame passing over as he spoke of what had happened. Our brother is desperate to take the place of Leandros. I fear for our sisters, and you as well. He would not say why. It was implied, surely.

He did wonder if Hira had come across him at all. Kemal couldn't imagine that he went too far - the crown prince was suited to a life of comfort.