The Duchess Gains Her Freedom [log]

[Cassandra Demarais]

[CASSANDRA] Aric had been very quiet, and she couldn't help but sense that seething rage emanating from him. Of course Alexandria had told him...but she was surprised that he was here now, among the entourage of both Tresterian and Aralorian guards that led her from the dungeons and down that familiar corridor. He had persuaded Renaud to allow her to remain under careful watch in her room, since Edward had been granted that courtesy the first time he had been arrested. He had been innocent at the time...and she was not. And her cousin knew it. Her stomach was twisting into knots, her heart pounding as she tried desperately to remain quiet, even though all she wanted to do was tell him to stop. That she didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve any of it. Cassandra had done what she had done, and she prayed Aric and whomever else weren't trying to cover for her.

[ARIC] The moment he saw her tear stricken face, he was hit with a mix of anger and worry. He wanted to embrace her, comfort her...but he didn't. He couldn't because he was still trying to fathom why she did it. No, he understood why...but he couldn't get over the fact that she actually managed to do it. So, he walked alongside her down the corridor to her room, noticing servants were busy bringing things from Alexandria's room not too far down, and into his. Well, one thing was moving forward today, he thought. "You'll not leave this room unless you are escorted. Understood?" he spoke, turning to face his cousin.

[CASSANDRA] His tone and demeanor were so...cold. As much as she expected it, she almost didn't, and knew it couldn't entirely be because he was putting up a front before the guards. It made her breath catch in her throat, and she wondered if Alexandria or even Orin would be the same way. You killed the fucking king, she inwardly told herself. You deserve worse treatment than this. You deserve nothing. "Aric, I-" But there was nothing she could say, not while they weren't alone. And he barely looked at her now. This was the price she had to pay, and she had to accept it. That was it. Once she was ushered inside the room, she caught the sad look on her cousin's face before the door was shut. And she stood in the silent and dark bedroom. Slowly, as the minutes ticked by, she took her time to wash the grime from her body, clothing herself in a simple dress before drawing a shawl around her shoulders. She wandered to the small balcony off her room to peer out at the darkening landscape despite the cold air. Green eyes glinted with tears but she couldn't shed them; gaze idly dropping to the ground below as she leaned upon the stone railing. How did she go from doing this to protect them all to the situation spiraling so out of control that they were sucked into it? They just had to let it go. Let her go. It would be so much easier.

[ARIC] He was numb now, no longer knowing what else to think, or what to feel. He just needed this to be done and over with. He wanted to bury his brother and move on. Just move on from everything that has caused any sort of grievance. But life wasn't fair like that. Trying to contain all of these fluctuating emotions, Aric made his way to his room, which would now be their room, and held the door open for a servant girl who was carrying an arms full of various items before following inside.

[ALEXANDRIA] The room had already been mostly transformed from what it was when Aric left. His things were still there, but rearranged and mixed in with Alexandria's furniture and belongings, minus her bed and a few other things that wasn't needed (like the table and chairs) because Aric already had a similar setup. Her wardrobe and vanity were placed in the corner of the room with all of her belongings that went with those. Her desk was brought in and placed near Aric's so when they sat there, they would be facing each other.
The room seemed brighter and more cheerful than it had when Aric left. Curtains were changed out, linens changed and the room had slightly more of a feminine touch added to it, but not too completely overbearing to make Aric feel as if he didn't belong there. Alexandria made sure not to touch most of his things.
Alexandria had thrown herself into the task to try to keep her mind busy, but it was evident just by looking at her that she was struggling. When Aric arrived, she was arguing with a servant about where to put a certain tapestry because they were apparently doing something all wrong, and it was almost as if that one thing seemed like the end of the world. The servants were swarming around nervously and confused because their queen was acting strangely and different than usual. One of them caught sight of Aric and bowed to him. "Majesty? She has been like this all day..." the woman frowned, knowing something must have happened. It wasn't typical that the queen was ordering people around and getting upset over the smallest things.
Alexandria was suddenly yelling at someone, her voice cracking as if she were trying not to cry, "No! I said I did not want that in here! Get it out of my sight, now!" She moved over to her desk was and started to put things back into the drawers and organize the things that had been piled on top of it.

[ARIC] He almost didn't notice much was different because he was just taken aback by the flurry of people. He sensed the tension immediately, even before the woman told him, insinuating that their queen was not right. Just add it to the list of things just not right today, since yesterday. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he nodded to the servant, his face offered an apologetic expression before he moved over to his flustered wife. Tensions and emotions were high everywhere, and he didn't know where to begin anymore. He wanted to ask if she had heard back from Orin or Stefan, because not knowing what was going to happen with that was slowly driving him to madness. But he didn't. "Alexandria..." he said quietly. "Maybe you need a break from this." But what else was there to do? Perhaps he should be helping her, maybe yelling at someone would help him alleviate the overwhelming stress he felt before it burned out of control.

[ALEXANDRIA] She almost didn't notice or hear Aric as he approached her, and it took her a moment to register what he had said to her as she continued to work with organizing her desk. Not looking at him, she spoke with anger in her tone. "I'm fine." she nearly snapped at him. But clearly she wasn't. She crouched down to put several books on a shelf next to her desk and as she pulled away, banged her elbow on her desk, causing a glass jar to fall and shatter to the floor. She cursed out loudly and began quickly picking the broken shards up, only for her hand to get sliced open and blood instantly start to seep out of her skin.

[ARIC] At her tone, he backed off. She was under pressure, he was under pressure, this didn't need to turn into another fight. He really couldn't handle that right now. But as her mood seemed to seep into the inanimate objects around her, glass shattering to the floor, everyone in the room stopped. Holding back a sigh, he quickly ushered everyone out of the room, telling them he would handle the mess and shut the door behind them. He rushed to dip a cloth into the basin of water and moved to her side, pressing the damp cloth against the small cut. "You're clearly not," he answered pointedly, but his tone wasn't harsh like hers had been. None of them were fine, so there was no point in her lying and trying to pretend that she was.

[ALEXANDRIA] She had allowed herself to fall to sit on the floor, drawing her knees to her chest, holding her bleeding band out. She couldn't cry though, she had done enough of that lately and she just couldn't. Instead, she just sat there staring and watching as the blood dripped from her hand and onto the floor, like it was mesmerizing her. So when Aric came back and touched her, she quickly startled, pulling her hand away briefly until he spoke to her. She relaxed her arm, allowing him to take it, but she remained tense about it. "I'm not." She said, almost emotionless. "I'm bleeding. Why would I be alright?" She still couldn't look at him, her eyes still focused on her hand.

[ARIC] Weren't they all just a little tense? His jaws clenched as he had to bite his tongue again, not taking pressure off her hand until he took her other one and indicated for her to hold the cloth herself. He let his eyes wander around the room, finding a broom and pan to use to clean up the shards of broken glass. He'd normally ask if she was alright...but she wasn't. The question was pointless. No one was alright right now. "The room looks nice," he said instead, in way of conversation.

[ALEXANDRIA] She didn't lift her gaze as Aric moved to get the broom to clean up her mess. She sat there on the floor, holding her hand and just stared off into nothing. When Aric spoke, she sighed quietly and finally looked at him. "Do you like it? I can change it around if you don't..." It would give her something to do again. "I'm sorry for moving your things....and seemingly taking over your room..." She was feeling guilty about it. Even though the room was large enough to accommodate the two of them. It had once been his space.
Before he could answer, she continued to ramble on. "I wasn't sure if you'd like the desks this way... or that I put all my things in that corner...the curtains... Or the flowers.." She looked at him questioning. "I can get rid of it all if you don't want it in here..." She paused and looked away from him, suddenly becoming choked up. "They kept trying to bring in the blankets from my bed...even though I told them not to..."

[ARIC] He personally didn't care one way or another, because he didn't spend a whole lot of time in this room. Aric also just didn't have many belongings to begin with. "No, it's fine," he said almost casually as he was sweeping the shards up, unaware of the strangeness in her voice until she continued rambling like she had done some unspeakable thing. Leaning the broom aside, he kneeled in front of her. "Alexandria, it's fine," he told her again. "It looks more like a home now. I don't mind any of it." Then she was mentioning the blankets and he sighed, carefully taking her injured hand into his, lifting the cloth carefully to see if the cut had clotted. "They do not know what happened..." he said quietly. And that was a good thing, in some ways. If anything, they were all completely confused about the passing of the king. "How about I just set everything else in that room on fire, hm?" He was trying to lighten the mood despite the fact that his own head was throbbing from everything else.

[ALEXANDRIA] Her hands started to tremble when he touched her to look at her cut, and she slowly nodded. Her voice cracking as she could only manage a whisper through her tightened throat. "I know...But they kept insisting on it." She stared down at his hand as he held hers. Her wrists looked worse than they had last night and she quickly moved to pull her sleeves down to hide them, as if Aric didn't already know about them and he couldn't see them. She wasn't herself, clearly. Being alone with her thoughts had pulled her far out of the present and she lingered there in that darkness now. She typically would have laughed at his comment, but instead she just nodded. "That would be fine..."

[ARIC] He found it strange that a servant would insist on anything of a queen, but he didn't mention that either. He wasn't there and it no longer mattered. The blankets were in there and never would be. Aric did notice how she tried covering up her wrists, and he remained quiet. To point them out would just shine a brighter light upon them. The only way to move past this was to move away from the topic. Deal with it and forget it. Edward was gone, and quite literally, couldn't ever hurt her or anyone else again. His cousin made sure of that. "Then it will be done," he said so matter-of-factly. Seeing that her wound wasn't too deep, it managed to stop bleeding fortunately. Still, he'd wrap it. Not having any bandages, he just tore some of the bottom of his shirt (which was a challenge with his own injured hand) and carefully wrapped and tied it around her hand. He knew what being left to her own thoughts did to her, but he had to go. No one else was jumping up to get Cassandra moved from the dungeons, and now she was left in the dark to her own thoughts. The circle never seemed to stop, and he was scrambling in the middle trying to fix every little crack while fighting to remain sane. He was going to crack again soon if Orin didn't bring him damn good news, and soon. "I don't like that painting, though," he said after a moment, gesturing with his chin to some random framed image she must have had put up. He couldn't easily smile yet, but there was a warmness in his eyes when he looked to her. "Because I hear that you like to draw...or was it paint?"

[ALEXANDRIA] Her brows furrowed as Aric agreed that the room would be set on fire. He wasn't serious was he? But she said nothing and watched Aric as he tended to her hand, ripping his own shirt to bandage her. She frowned and shook her head. "Why are you so good to me?" She looked at him finally, finding his eyes and she frowned and shook her head. "I don't deserve it... I'm sorry for everything." Her eyes welled up with tears, but she held them back and looked away from him. She fell silent, nervously playing with the folds on her skirt. Bit when Aric mentioned not liking a painting on the wall, she looked up at it and frowned. "You don't?" But then he was explaining why, and it seemed to confuse Alexandria. She looked back at him, seeing that warmth in his eyes. "I used to... I don't do that anymore. There's no time anymore..."

[ARIC] Was he serious? Maybe right now he was, because he was just crazy enough to do anything that foolish. Lips parted, about to answer her rather silly question, but she was continuing in that sad, usual way that she always did. "*Enough"," he said pointedly. He wasn't loud, he wasn't cruel, but he sure as hell was stern about it. "You're not the reason why my brother went mad. You're not the reason Cassandra killed him. You're not the reason for anything else going wrong here. So, please...just stop it." He didn't know how many times or how many different ways he had to say it. "I'm good to you because you're good to me. I'm still here because I love you. My brother's dead- I could have just as easily went back to Tresteria today and never looked back, but I didn't, did I?" Still, his tone wasn't harsh. It was matter-of-fact. It was tired. The words were coming from a man desperately trying to hold himself together and wasn't sure he could do it for much longer. "As far as the painting goes-" His eyes flickered to the one on the wall. He didn't like it but he didn't not like it. He didn't care, but he was trying to prove another point. "All I ask of you, all I want is something you've created. For me." The corners of his eyes crinkled; a hint of an almost smile. "That would make my day," he added honestly. And, not to mention, it might keep her mind off of things. She had time, because all she was going to do now is let her mind wander since her brother hasn't returned with any news yet. And that was going to drive him insane.

[ALEXANDRIA] Her brows furrowed as he was stern with her and spoke his mind. He was right, but somehow, her mind couldn't comprehend around it all too well right now. But she didn't argue with him, she just remained silent, and then finally sighed. Her eyes found his again and she stared at him for a moment. I'm still here because I love you, he said, and she was silently battling herself between believing him and appreciating him for enduring everything he has with her, with Aralore, and with everything going on right now. But those dark thoughts pulling at her was trying to convince her that he was all wrong... To put those walls up, push him further away--because she didn't deserve to be loved. Because she was broken and there would be no way of fixing her. She choked back her tears and struggled to breathe for a moment, and she reached out for him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and resting her head against him. She whispered, her voice cracking as if stuck in her throat. "Aric, I am struggling so badly with what is right here in front of me right now....and my past dragging me down and into isolation. I'm fighting so hard... but my walls are being put back up around me and I'm pushing you away because I can't fight it anymore..." She clung to him tightly, fighting back sobs from escaping her. "Please don't go away." She closed her eyes and leaned against him, defeated. "And I would love to paint you something... I just don't know where my things are..." She spoke her last comment so matter of fact as if it were another heavy thought on her mind trapping her now.

[ARIC] The thing she wasn't understanding was that...he didn't know what to do. One second she was pushing him away, and the next she was clinging to him, begging him not to leave. It didn't matter what he said, because it didn't seem to do anything to help. It was like every word that fell from his lips just didn't matter. She was only going to hear or believe what she wanted to. All he could do was kneel there in front of her and hold her against him when she clung to him, because despite what she wanted to think, he was there for her. He just had no more words left. She wasn't the only one crumbling, but he was setting aside his own concerns and the rest of his own family to sit there with her now. "Then we will have to get you new supplies," he finally spoke after a moment, words murmured into her hair.

[ALEXANDRIA] It wasn't that she didn't understand, it was just that she couldn't think straight anymore. She was feeling trapped by her own inner demons and struggling to escape from them. His words would matter if she could only make sense of them in her jumbled mind right now. For a while, Alexandria was silent, remaining against him. She focused on his breath and his heart beating within his chest, and it calmed her slightly. Finally, she spoke softly. "I think my things are under my bed... And probably dried up and unusable... Might help with starting the fire in there..." Was that a bit of a joke out of her? But she didn't laugh or smile after saying it. New supplies would be nice though, she thought. There was something about fresh paint and brushes that excited her. But there were more important things to deal with right now than worrying about getting her paints and her taking the time to paint, where there was so much to do. She kissed Aric's cheek before burying her face into his neck, resting her head down on his shoulder. "Were you able to get Cass out of the dungeons?"

[ARIC] No, he would get her new paints. He wasn't even going to bother checking under that bed. He'd wanted to buy her supplies after Orin told him about it. That had been one of a few things he remembered from that night... Still, he huffed a gentle laugh, even if she didn't or even smile. "Don't tempt me," he murmured in soft jest. Aric shifted so that he could lean back against one of the desks, drawing her back to his lap. The floor wasn't at all comfortable, but he wouldn't complain. When she asked about Cassandra, the small amount of humor he managed to have dissipated. "Yes," he said, sighing as he leaned his head atop hers. "But she's still just as terrified." And like with everything else going on in his life, there was nothing he could do to fix it.

[ALEXANDRIA] She managed the smallest of a smile at Aric's comment on not tempting him. That room was ruined for her, and now that she was out of it, what would the room be used for? Perhaps another guest room now. Or storage. Or nothing.
As Aric shifted on the floor, and pulled her to his lap, she straddled his legs to face him and rested her head down on his chest. She felt somewhat relieved when Aric told her Cassandra was out of the dungeons, but saddened to hear she was terrified. She hoped that everything would work out for all of them. And soon, because she wasn't sure how much more she or anyone else could take. She nodded slightly and lifted her head to look at him, her hand moving to touch his face. But she didn't know what to say. She knew he wasn't okay, and she had no idea what to do to make him feel better.

[ORIN] Well, he and Stefan had some rather good news, and had been very busy throughout the day. It was as if they hit a jackpot of evidence, and Orin was actually excited. (As long as this all worked out and would be enough to free Cassandra). He knocked on the door with a quick urgency.

[ARIC] Something had to get better, or just completely give out at this point because he was struggling to stay balanced on the ledge of this madness. He felt like he had to be the rock, the one holding everyone up...and whereas it was something he strived to do, he was afraid of failing. Failing them all. None of this was supposed to happen. When she shifted and rested her head on his chest, his arms simply wrapped around her comfortably. It was as though her slight weight was the only thing keeping him anchored to the earth right now. And he wished he had the words to say that would take away all her worries, all that darkness, but all he had was himself and the comfort of his arms, and he silently prayed it was enough. For now. As she touched his face, tired eyes fell to her own...and he'd manage a small smile. Although it was small, it was genuine even still. Leaning forward, he placed a gentle kiss against her mouth that lingered for a few heartbeats, drawing back just as the knock sounded against the door. He'd been somewhat calm, so the abrupt sound actually made him jump a little. Almost reluctant, he gently urged Alexandria from his lap so that he could rise to his feet, pulling her up with him. "Come in," he called out.

[ALEXANDRIA] Aric was enough for her, despite how he was feeling or what he thought. She may have been a lot worse if he hadn't been her rock and her support. She felt comforted in his arms, in his warmth, and wanted to stay there forever. She brushed his cheek with her thumb as he kissed her, returning that kiss with the same gentleness and affection, but that quiet peaceful moment was soon interrupted by the knock on the door. She startled too, especially since it had started Aric. She sighed quietly, reluctantly getting up with his help. She reached for Aric's hand and intertwined her fingers with his.

[ORIN] He quickly opened the door and held it for Stefan, entering after him. He glanced to Aric and Alexandria and smiled slightly. But his eyes lingered on his sister, who seemingly looked worse than before. He'd question her after, but they had some business to discuss. He let out a long exhale before inhaling deeply. "So....we've been quite busy this afternoon..." He glanced around the room, suddenly noticing all the changes that had been made. Apparently someone had been busy here. He imagined Alexandria threw herself into it to try and keep her mind occupied. Eyes finally glanced back to Aric. "Stefan, would you like to tell them?"

[STEFAN] He quietly entered the room, immediately bowing to Aric and Alexandria. When Orin urged him to present his findings, he stood up straighter and nodded. "Of course... I was able to board the ship and found various jugs of wine from Tresteria... and several vials of something. I spoke with some of the deckhands and servants on board.. They told me Renaud was always supplying him with different wines and the vials of medicines because the king started complaining a lot of headaches and stomach pains..." He raised a brow and looked suspicious for a moment. "As you suspected, majesty...he left all the wine on the ship...But not all of the vials. Servants said he'd go through a vial per day...but they didn't know what it was..."

[ARIC] He was both glad and anxious as he saw the two enter. Aric was wondering if he should be preparing himself for something horrible, but he noticed Orin's faint smile. So, good news? Appearing a little hopeful, his hand clutching tightly to Alexandria's, his dark gaze flickered between the two men before remaining upon Stefan as he explained. He'd found the Tresterian wine! His heart nearly leapt into his throat with the rest, though. "Renaud?" No, he didn't need to repeat himself- he heard, and he should have known. "Have you brought any of this to Godfrey yet, to confirm the contents?" Was Renaud behind his brother completely losing his mind? Everything was certainly pointing in that direction, and he felt his heart pound inside his chest.

[ORIN] He was quickly nodding at Aric's question. "Of course we did." He laughed very slightly and shook his head in disbelief. "The wine checked out to be laced with the same poison found in his blood. His liver showed damage which suggests he has been being poisoned over a long period of time...." He glanced to Aric with an apologetic expression. He knew that it might be hard to hear that someone had been slowly killing his brother for so long. He sighed then before continuing. "The vials were a mix of Opium and the same poison in the wine..."

[STEFAN] He nodded as Orin explained their time spent with Godfrey. It had been both interesting and intense being in the room as the healer made these discoveries. "We already have Renaud in custody now. He put up a fight and is denying all of it... But he is being guarded and will be transported to the ship later on to return to Tresteria..."

[ALEXANDRIA] Her eyes widened at Orin's news. If Remaud was running around freely, was he, has he been poisoning anyone else? She squeezed Aric's hand and then glanced to him. "So... then, can we release Cassandra, or will she still need to be tried in Tresteria as a suspect?" She hoped that they could just release her, but why would anything be that easy?

[ARIC] It was that strange feeling of being overwhelmed and yet, somehow, relieved at the same time. Orin was telling him everything he was hoping to hear, and he could have hugged the man right then and there. On top of it all, Stefan said they already had Renaud, and Aric didn't need to know anymore. He didn't even need to see the evidence for himself. "That cousin of mine is one lucky bitch..." he murmured. Had he said that out loud? He didn't appear to care. The thing was, he didn't know what was worse anymore. He just found out that his brother had been slowly poisoned to death (or would have been if Cassandra hadn't jumped the gun), and Renaud might be responsible. It looked bad for him, but they couldn't just slit his throat...as much as he wanted to do that. His hand tightened around Alexandria's in excited relief over this all. And although the weight of his brother's death was worse, making him feel horrible for not mourning him as much as he should have (considering he hadn't been his true self), the faintest of grins curled a corner of his mouth. "Thank you. Both of you." He looked to Orin but pointed at Stefan. "Get this man a raise." Turning his attention down to his wife, he only contemplated his response for a moment. Renaud had arrested her on suspicion of murder...but now he was arrested on the same charges. It was good enough for him to not give a shit about anymore legalities. The only thing against her was Charles seeing her...and he was a drunk in Aric's eyes now. Yes, she was very lucky indeed. To answer Alexandria, he bent to kiss her lips briefly before moving to retrieve that Aralorian sword he had resting upon the table. He didn't bother attaching it to his belt. "Gentlemen?" he asked in way of having them follow him. The queen was welcome to join, considering they were just going down the hall. Stepping out, long strides carried him down the corridor to his cousin's room that was being guarded by Renaud's own men. But it was time to see if they served him or the crown, now wasn't it? "Chancellor Simon Renaud has been arrested on suspicion of endangering the life of your late king and possible murder," he announced them. Might as well throw in "murder" at this point. "You will release Her Grace, by the order of your prince. Now." His injured hand rested upon the pommel of that sword, praying he wouldn't have to try and use it.

[ORIN] He smirked slightly and clapped his hand against Stefan's back as Aric ordered him to get the man a raise. He had just gotten one, but with saving Alexandria and now Cassandra, he definitely deserved more. He quietly stepped aside for Aric to move past him and out of the room before he followed behind him. He was silent, but his heart was pounding in his chest, nervous for what would happen next--if Cassandra would throw herself at him again and further put him at risk again for suspicion. Part of him didn't care, she would probably be leaving soon to Tresteria for Edward's funeral, and why would she come back? She would have no reason to. He quietly stood behind Aric, his hand on the hilt of his sword for backup, so Aric wouldn't have to try using his.

[STEFAN] He laughed at Aric's suggestion and shook his head. "Not necessarily, majesty... I am happy being in the Queen's guard." He bowed his head to Alexandria and smiled, before stepping aside to allow Aric to pass. He followed behind them, but lingered a moment, to see if the queen would follow, and in that case, he walked behind her.

[ALEXANDRIA] She couldn't help but feel sickened at the thought that Edward had spiraled into his madness, causing him to do so much wrong, and it was the doing of another man. Though she was relieved to hear that they had already captured Renaud. She squeezed Aric's hand once she felt his grip on hers, and instead of answering her, he kissed her lips. It had been the first time she saw relief on his features in quite a while, and while she would have smiled, she was still feeling overwhelmed by everything. She quietly followed behind the men, turning to Stefan, she placed a hand on his arm and gave him a genuine smile, "Thank you....for everything, Stefan... The amount of gratitude I owe you cannot be spoken with just words..." She stayed behind and away from the guards as Aric confronted them at the door. Sapphire eyes were tired as she watched.

[ARIC] The tension in the air was thick as every man in that corridor stood at the ready. Only a couple of the Tresterians looked surprised to hear what Aric had to say, while the rest exchanged looks amongst each other. Perhaps they had already heard about Renaud's arrest, but there was this strange feeling that Aric couldn't ignore. Almost as if those men knew more than they let on. The captain amongst them gestured for the others to ease, and he bowed to Aric, "Of course, Highness. What are your further orders?" "Get out of my sight," Aric practically spat. "You can prepare the ship to leave in a few days, so long as you're not in my presence or this castle." The captain's gaze dropped, gritting his teeth...but he nodded, bowed once more before leaving. The rest were quick to do the same. That left him staring at that door, still unsure how to feel or react to his cousin even if he had found an ounce of relief in this whole mess. But Edward was still dead. And that was a whole other problem. Slowly, a hand reached out for the knob and opened the door. "Cassie?" he called out into the dark room. He spotted her figure out on the balcony but he didn't bother to advance into the room. "You're free to go." Why was he being so...cold? Was he still in disbelief that she could do such a thing?

[CASSANDRA] She heard voices outside her door and may have recognized her cousin's, but she barely moved. She stood out on that small balcony despite the cold air. Perhaps she wanted her body to be as frozen as her damned heart was. Or maybe she just couldn't feel it anymore. When her door opened and Aric was telling her in so few words and in that emotionless tone that she was free, her head turned to regard him and the others standing out there in the hall. Her eyes were red from all the tears she had shed, having finally run out, or simply hadn't the will to. Cassandra just didn't look like herself, quite obviously. A staggered breath was drawn in as her feet began to move and carry her to the door. This was when she was supposed to smile and sigh in relief, but she didn't. She looked confused. What had he done? She had done this unspeakable thing, and cousin to the prince or not, she deserved the punishment. She needed it because it was tearing her apart. Attention drifted from the nameless guard to Orin where her pain deepened, only to settle those bright green eyes upon the queen and Aric. She fell at their feet onto her knees, her chest heaving from tearless sobs. "I'm so sorry..." she whispered, and felt like she wouldn't be able to say it enough. She wanted to ask what they had done and beg them to take it back, but they were in a public hallway, with a man whom she didn't know if he was aware of it all.

[ALEXANDRIA] She frowned slightly at Aric's cold demeanor, but she understood it. Cassandra had killed Edward, or rather, finished Renaud's work. It still wasn't the right thing to do, but Alexandria was slightly grateful for what she had done--that she had selfishly done this to protect all of them from the king's madness. So when Cassandra was on her knees in front of her and Aric, she wanted to crouch down and embrace her, but she hesitated, knowing that Aric needed the apology more than she did. She reached for Aric's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as if telling him to respond to Cassandra, and perhaps more than offering her that coldness.

[ORIN] She had put her life, his life in danger. He had worked nonstop and hadn't slept since the night before the wedding. Call him delusional from the lack of sleep, but he was just done with all of this. He watched as Cassandra begged for Aric and Alexandria's forgiveness. What about his and all he had risked for her-- all he had done for her? He just laughed, shaking his head. "I'm done with all of this..." He threw his arms up and started to walk away, but then turned back to face them all. "The three of you... my fucking word!" Obviously not directing his anger at Stefan, he continued. "I've played the middle man for the last few days and you're all ridiculous..." He growled before he suddenly started on his angered tirade. "You..." he pointed at Aric, "I can't be horribly angry with you because you've been juggling between dealing with your psychotic asshole of a brother and his death and trying to keep my sister sane and your cousin freed... But you say one thing and then contradict yourself. You've been racking your brain trying to figure out how to help Cass, even offering to risk your life without caring what it would do... and now... you just stand there and treat her like she's nothing. Yes, what happened was wrong but can't you see it was the lesser of two evils? It's done now and nothing can be done about it..." He glared at Alexandria, then and his tone grew more frustrated. "And you... whenever things get really tough you act like it's the end of the fucking world and instead of asking for help, you think you need to take everything on your own shoulders...the walls go up and you push everyone away...shut them out like they don't matter. You need to stop fucking doing that or you will lose everything and everyone and you will have to do everything on your own because no one will be here left for you. Stop feeling sorry for yourself and open your pretty blue eyes and see what you have right in front of you!!!" He then turned to Cassandra and shook his head. "And you...stop fucking living your life for everyone else. You are not dispensable. You matter to some people, even though you can be a stuck up bitch. What you thought would help everyone, made an insane amount of work to help you...and hurt a lot of people... instead of kneeling there begging for forgiveness, you should be thanking everyone. " He shook his head and laughed again. "When you're all done being complete idiots...come find me...I'm done helping." And with that, he walked away from them, cursing under his breath.

[ARIC] He couldn't seem to bring himself to look at Cassandra, and for the most part...he really didn't know why. It killed him to stand there, but it killed him to reach for her. But even his wife was silently urging him to do something, and all he could feel were those tears stinging at his eyes. Just as he fought for the words to say, Orin was speaking...and saying many, many things. Dark eyes turned to him instantly with the outburst, listening to him berate them all, listening to him speak so harshly...but he was right. Most of that was absolutely correct, and it was possibly what kept Aric from lashing out in return. When the man finally finished and began walking away, the prince's voice boomed, echoing down the hall, "ORIN." The authority in his voice was telling him to stop. Whether he did or not, however, he would hear Aric speak again soon after, his voice lower because they should still not be overheard. "You're right..." Pausing, he shut his eyes for a brief moment. "Except that...I stand here because I'm frightened." Not because he wanted to treat her like shit. How in all of Elysium...? This sudden realization was just pouring out of him now; his hand holding tightly to Alexandria's as his eyes dropped to Cassandra. "I love my cousin with all my heart...and it frightens me to know that she...had the ability to do such a horrible thing..." His words had been whispered now, not wishing for anyone else to hear. And if Stefan didn't know what had happened, well, he surely would now. "It should have been me, Cassie..." And there was his breaking point again. His voice cracking as he stumbled down to a knee. "It should have been me taking care of it. Not you." Guilt. He felt immense guilt because he didn't have the gall to do what his younger cousin did. Even knowing that Renaud, quite possibly, had been making Edward go mad...something had needed to be done. If it had waited on his shoulders, things may have gotten far worse.

[CASSANDRA] "Orin, please..." she quietly pleaded for him to stop. She expected this. She deserved this. Edward had been Aric's brother, his blood...her blood. Despite all the man had done, she hadn't gone into this foolish decision out of hatred or revenge. It had been far from that. She knew why she had done it, and she knew she should have kept her mouth shut about all of it. Because now, Orin was making it quite clear that she had created even more chaos by doing so. It may have just been easier to keep silent and let Renaud cut off her head. But it was difficult to be upset or angry or even feel that way about it when he spoke to her that way, said the things he did. It was just making her cry again, different tears than before...even with the name he spat at her. It almost made her call out for him to stop, almost made her get up to run to him but she felt paralyzed now. Lips parted to speak, to say anything to all of them, but Aric was talking and she felt her breath halt in her throat. What he said...she understood, because it was why she was on her knees begging for forgiveness. It was why this sin would not go away no matter how much she tried to forget it. She felt like a monster for being able to do it, and he was fearful of it just as she was. Wars were constantly fought with men killing men...but some people were not bred for that. Cassandra was struggling with whether she thought she was or not, and that scared her. Green eyes found her cousin's face and his unshed tears as he knelt before her. Instantly shaking her head, dismissing his guilt, his way of apology, she threw her arms around his neck in an embrace. Her voice was still too lost to her for words just yet, but one of her hands was reaching out in hopes to find Alexandria's, letting her attention drift towards Orin (or the empty hall where he had once stood).

[ORIN] He heard Aric yell after him, but he didn't stop. He couldn't. He didn't know how Aric or Cassandra would handle what he had said, but he knew Alexandria and he didn't want to...couldn't look at her after he had just berated her for being who she is and for pointing out her flaws, in front of everyone, even if Aric already discovered them for himself, he still just shamed his sister. He shouldn't have, but he couldn't control himself. So he kept walking and headed to his room to go to bed, finally.

[ALEXANDRIA] Her eyes shot over to Orin as he first started to berate Aric, then her and Cassandra. "Orin..." she tried to stop him, but he just kept going. And when he spoke of her and her downfalls, her brows furrowed and she seemed shocked by his words. Maybe even hurt, because she knew he was right, and she didn't always recognize that she did these things. It wasn't so much that she felt bad for herself, it was just that she felt so overwhelmed and lost. So scared to ask for help and appear weak. But she hadn't felt as weak as she did right now. Her eyes were welling up with tears as Orin continued and then stormed off. Aric's voice startled her slightly, but when he spoke to Cassandra, she continued to cry. Aric felt that he should have killed his brother and taken care of it, and that bothered her for some reason. She wanted to run away right now and further fall away into her isolated darkness and push everyone away to prevent her heart from hurting any further. Just as Orin said. But she was frozen in shock, in frustration and upset. Then, as Cassandra found her hand, her eyes lowered to her and her husband down on the floor and she couldn't bring herself to say or do anything but cry. She felt embarrassed and ashamed. Aric had grown frustrated with her and she understood why and didn't know what to do. She whispered quietly and shook her head. "I'm sorry..." she slowly turned, letting go of Cassandra's hand and she started walking away from them.

[CASSANDRA] She clung to him, desperate to tell him how sorry she was again, to thank him for everything, but she still couldn't bring herself to. But when Alexandria let go of her hand, needing to walk away because of what Orin said, she was rising up to her feet when Aric had. He was clearly about to rush after the queen, but she silently asked him to hold on...because it was she that ran after her. She wouldn't keep her long, knowing she just wanted to go and break down, but Cassandra couldn't let her just yet. The Duchess rushed in front of her in hopes of stopping her, immediately drawing the woman into a loving embrace, arms wrapping about her tightly as her own tears continued to fall. "Listen to me," she whispered gently, her cheek against hers so that only Alexandria would hear her words. "He's angry. He doesn't fully understand. He's frustrated because he loves you." She spoke of Orin, but unbeknownst to her, it could have also applied to Aric. "But you, Alexandria, are the strongest woman that I know. I don't know everything that you have been through, but I can imagine. I've been scared, I've felt weak, but I realized that...if you can survive all that you have and still stand, I can survive this." She had seen the woman's scars, she could see the horror in her eyes. Cassandra may not know her whole story, but she could assume, because the unspeakable act nearly happened to her in those caves. And now she wept for her, not out of pity, but out of understanding. Out of love for her and hope that she could climb out of this darkness. She wept because she, too, was trying to find the strength to stand and finding guidance from the queen. "You've survived much before...you can do this again. Please don't shrink away. You're too strong for that." Maybe Alexandria didn't believe in herself...but Cassandra did. And she just wanted her to know it. She placed a gentle kiss to Alexandria's cheek before drawing away; hands squeezing her arms until she stepped aside to allow Aric to go to his wife like he had originally intended to.

[ARIC] He knew Orin's words would affect Alexandria, but one problem at a time. A part of him had hoped that she would be able to stand there with them, even for another moment longer, but when he felt her drifting away he was rising up. Immediately turning to go after her, Cassandra was stopping him from doing so...leaving him standing there as she hugged his wife close, whispering words into her ear that he could not hear. His eyes softened at the sight, still slightly blurred from tears and he simply waited, hoping whatever Cassie was saying helped. Even a little bit.

[CASSANDRA] Fingers were trying to dry her eyes but failing miserably as she moved back to Aric. "I am sorry, cousin," she told him. "But I am thankful...for all of you." There was more she could have said, but his wife needed him. Cass would manage on her own now. Before Alexandria rushed away, if she still desired to, she rose up onto her toes and kissed Aric on the cheek. "Now go." Moving, she lingered in the doorway of her room but did not go in. She wouldn't for a while, considering it had been her prison, but she wasn't really sure where else to go.

[ARIC] Embracing Cassandra one more time, kissing the top of her head, he silently bid her goodnight so that he could rush after Alexandria, seeking her uninjured hand with his own; an unspoken plea and question of whether she wanted him there, if it was okay for him to join her. Wherever she desired to go. She may have wanted to wallow in her sorrow, but he couldn't be alone. He couldn't let her be alone.