Luckily for Jhansi, the death geas had been broken, and several nerve-jangling hours later, Scarlett was sobbing in her mother's arms, reunited with Hope for the first time since the younger woman's birth, and while Hope was immensely relieved to finally be holding her daughter, she was also sad at how things had come to such a sorry pass. Most bitterly did she curse Jhansi for her betrayal that had led to not only a good friend's death, but also to the enslavement of not only her eldest granddaughter, but that of her two great-grandsons, not to mention their future offspring. "When will this madness end?" she sobbed, her hair now almost completely grey. "All I wanted was a safe haven after the hell I was put through back on Earth."89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWjGy5Fi7EY
Scarlett had no words, so she settled for holding onto her mother tighter as the older woman dissolved into fresh tears. Ishan felt helpless as he watched his mother-in-law crying helplessly in her daughter's arms, wishing there was something he could do. 89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWR1qYk12bK
Eldon - whose hair was now white as snow, his face lined and weary after the last several torturous years - put a hand on the stricken forest elf's shoulder. "Your mother-in-law's been through the wringer ever since Scarlett was born more than twenty years ago," the older man said softly. "Only a while ago did she finally get to see her grandson, but then he was snatched away by Jhansi's treachery. Now Hope has to fear for her grandson yet again, as well as two nephews, her oldest granddaughter, and countless other innocents."
Ishan sighed. "I'm amazed she's still on her feet," he whispered back.
"For now," Eldon said, his once easy-going manner and wisecracking nature completely swallowed in constant worry over the woman he'd secretly loved for so long. He wanted so much to tell her, but had held back, fearing the time might never be right. Now he regretted his silence, for now it seemed the right time never would come. He sighed in frustration, and it was Ishan's turn to put a comforting hand on the older man's shoulder. Eldon gave him a grateful smile, but it was soon swallowed by sadness again. "I've got more years on her, but I've seen and been through a lot," he said. "Hope was sexually abused by her father growing up, and though she never came out and said it, I don't think the one night stand that produced Scarlett was entirely willing on her side. She was only a teenager herself when she conceived, and then she went through the wringer when she and her friends arrived on Pandora all those years ago." He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Had I known Jhansi was a double-double agent, I'd have killed her myself, and be damned! That woman has single-handedly put me through more grief than what a man should rightfully have to go through in a lifetime. Hope hasn't had that experience, and now she's facing even more touble."
"I hope she can hold on," Ishan said, watching as the two women left the room, talking softly as they walked out arm in arm. Niniane and Nyneve shared a look before going to their father and taking his hands, giving them a firm squeeze. Ishan returned the squeeze gratefully, thankful he still had his two youngest daughters at his side. Had he and Scarlett been forced to give them up, he knew Scarlett would be as almost near incosolable as her mother.
Eldon gave the girls' hair an affectionate ruffle. "Why don't you tykes run along?" he suggested. "You've got a whole kingdom to explore, and some of the pegasus foals are ready to take their first flights."
The girls grinned at each other before running out of the room, shouting in excitement, and Ishan almost busted a rib laughing. "Masterfully handled," he said, eyeing Eldon thoughtfully. "Let me guess; counterpoint?"89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86lyQbcIIs
"Whoever bred you should've bred out your uncanny knack for the deeper truth," Eldon muttered, but the ghost of his old humour shone through despite his cross words. "Yes, you relentless bloodhound. Counterpoints. But only if the girls and their mother are willing. And hear me out; if the girls don't want to do it, then we won't make them. We've a whole kingdom we can draw upon, and the races with whom we are permitted to dwell have agreed to loan their own offspring."
Ishan stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I guess it depends on how we word it to them," he said. "If we word it as revenge, they won't want to do it, even though they're still boiling mad over what happened to Nimue. Yon ancestor should have bred our accursed honour out as well. But if we tell them it's a way to free their as yet unborn kin from a life of misery, well, they'll jump at the chance. And it won't be a lie either. Well, not a whole lie, at any rate." He sighed. 89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoI77mfSKXz
"Or we let nature take its course," Eldon suggested. "Our plan already smacks too much of what the Pandoran council is planning for the wee ones. So we'll scrap it, and we'll let your daughters tell their children if they so wish."89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNopx4EtyY
"Good idea," Ishan agreed. "Truth be told, I'm sick of all this planning and scheming and plotting! No offence to you, my friend, but my daughters shouldn't be put into a counter-scheme, not after they so narrowly escaped a worse fate!"
"None taken," Eldon said easily. "We can forget I ever brought the subject up. Well, you brought it up first, but you get my drift."89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59rDUesK2V
Ishan chuckled and conceded the point. But as the two men left the room, Eldon's mind began ticking over. The girls are too raw with what happened to their elder sister, he reminded himself. So it will be their children who'll kickstart our revenge! I'm sick of sitting on my hands, and when the girls' children are grown, I'll tell them all about the sorry scheme going on back on Pandora. Once they've found out what's happened, they'll be lining up, ready to go across the boundary and wreak some havoc!
But he said nothing of his thoughts to Ishan, and though the forest elf was very good at ferreting the truth, he couldn't, as yet, read minds. Eldon regretted decieving him, but for far too long he'd been forced to sit on his ass and endure the miseries the Pandoran council had been perpetuating for so long. Eldon just hoped he could get away with it; he stood to lose much more than just his good standing if the girls' outraged parents found out. Or worse, if Hope found out. Eldon grimaced to himself. The poor woman had been through more hell than any woman should have been through in her lifetime, and she deserved some rest. Eldon didn't want to think of what would happen should she discover he planned to enslave as-yet-unborn children in his quest for vengeance. He resolved to keep it from her until it was well past the time for doing anything about it, though he knew she'd be even angrier should she find out he'd planned this and kept it from her.
Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place, Eldon thought miserably. Well, I'll just have to weather her temper should the truth come out, and hope for the best! 89Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxB4OkDvJ9
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