forgottencillian

[forgottencillian]

"Too clever for his own good?" rejoined Cillian, wrapping his knuckles rhythmically against the counter, and gazing eagerly at the treat she was preparing. His mouth watered and he sat himself opposite her, deciding to take a moment and pause -- even if it meant being lectured. She deserved to have him hear her out, anyway, little as he might like her imperial follower. "I rather like the sound of that! It was, I daresay, a rather daring exploit." He paused, suppressing the sigh that warmed the inside of his throat. "But you really weren't...so very displeased, I'm sure?"

Despite his words, his tone was anything but certain. After all, little as Cillian liked Arthur -- or any of the Varmonts -- the prince had shown concern for Eithne's own feelings when he'd seen her horror at the incident, and that, at least, had been rather gallant. In truth, Cillian couldn't help but think better of anyone who was thoughtful towards one of his ladies...Yet, unforntuately for Arthur, Cillian's disapprobation was so severe that even quite a few such moments would never prove sufficient to dig him out from the hole into which Cillian had cast him. But it was something.

Nevertheless, Cillian felt perfectly justified still in both misliking and mistrusting the man whose father had conquered them. Besides, he reminded himself, Arthur had even proven arrogant even in the midst of his gallantry, declaring red his own color, as if anyone could own a color! Yes, why Eithne might like the young man baffled him completely! Still...Cillian detested the idea of having in anyway hurt or unsettled her and for that he did feel grievously ashamed, despite how proud he otherwise was to have inconvenienced a Varmont.

"The other Varmont certainly got some entertainment out of it, I daresay," he added, suddenly wishing to defend himself somewhat.

It had not escaped Cillian how Rosie and Eithne's followers seemed rather set against one another. Why a man who could not manage to instill peace in his own family thought he was qualified to do so for whole kingdoms utterly eluded Cillian.

"I will say this much for him," relented Cillian, slightly. "He certainly has wonderful taste when it comes to the ladies and...Well, you would make as splendid an empress as there ever was, but..." he paused, swallowed hard. "Eithne...is that really what you want?"

Glancing down as she said it wouldn't matter which Varmont won, Cillian arched his brows. It was true, he supposed, but more to the point... "It matters how he gets there, whoever it may be. It matters very much. Thousands will die, Eithne. Thousands. And Arthur and Edmund, and all the antipathy we laugh at under our roof, will be directly responsible for their deaths. And this time we've no army to defend Malconire, we'll just, we'll just--"

He stopped, looked down, exhaling a long sigh as he braced his hands against the cool island top, letting the chill creep into his fingers, his palm, focusing on that. He was too close, too close now and he could feel his breath starting to quicken. 'Promise me...' he heard his old Lord rasping again, and he squeezed his eyes shut and focused on the cold.

When he looked up, again, he was master of himself, no trace of what he'd been pushing away in him at all. He was glad. He was glad her back had been turned, too. He didn't want Eithne to know. It would distress her. So instead he grinned cheekily and stole a piece of the bread, popping it into his mouth with a self-satisfied expression.

"You're right. Doesn't matter. It's not as if there's anything we can do to stop it, after all." Though, there was perhaps something he could do: what was the good of being a rebel, after all? "Suppose we'll just have to get along until that time."

He chuckled. "Then you must gratify me, for if I cannot find out in my own way, we must speculate wildly! We know well how our friend, Arthur, would react to having wine spilled repeatedly in his lap, but how do you imagine the others would take it? I want details," he added with chuckle. "It was, you know, my plan to pick on Rosie's favorite, tonight."

Out of Trouble || Cillian + Eithne

"Stop."

Eithne's voice was harsh but still laced with warmth as she caught sight of Cillian Frost darting through the kitchen, clearly trying to avoid her notice.

Hands on her hips, Eithne took a few steps towards where he stood, trying to keep her face stern but clearly unable to do so properly. She didn't think she'd ever been properly cross with Cillian. Any scolding always came with an air of levity to it and while Eithne did hope to make a point, she knew it would not come without a bit of a grin.

"I was told that a clumsy manservant spilled wine in the lap of a certain Varmont Prince while he was dining with Valentina last evening," she informed Cillian. "Not simply once thought... but twice."

She paused, waiting for a reaction. When he said nothing, she continued.

"Now I know we are both aware that you are too steady of hand to do anything of the sort," Eithne continued, turning to walk back to the kitchen counter where she was mixing up a meal to leave for the servants to prepare for themselves while the household was off at the palace. "But if you were not, I would wish to remind you that despite everything we may think or feel or wish we could change... it is in no one's best interest to dump wine into the lap of a potential future emperor."

#comment #eithne malconaire #out of trouble #omg i thought id posted this ages ago and then i was looking at rp-comments and realized i never had!!!!1 im so sooo sorry!! #future me like 'omg good thing he ~didn't dump wine on edmund' alksjdfkljdsfjdf imagine how that would've impacted more recent events lakjs

[forgottencillian]

cillian, getting himself in over his head with a varmont: ah, yes, another tuesday

no but we all know this will be the death ofhim someday but until that day he willcontinued to be the menace we all know and love lajsdfkljsafj <3333

ok but someone actively tryna investigate him/figure him out...and its the dude who arrested his big bro!!! D R A M A also i just knoW this engenders a lot of close calls for him and lbr will probs be how he's inevitably caught someday alskdjflksjdfjdf cillian, hiding out amongst the rafters (again) while all the varmonts search for different versions of him below: 'that's showbiz, baby!'

omg alaric and arthur team up GET OUT!!!!!! suitors everywhere run for the hills lakjsdkfljdsfj and cillian: 'what're you gonna do? execute lord ormond? he's already dead!!!!!' anyone w half a brain: 'yeah but ur not and they're looking for ~you, dumbass' alksdjfklsdjfsdf

not me immediately like I MUST FORGE HIS CREST!! me, breathing heavily: what are alaric's colors? what are farrington's? does he have a different personal crest from his duchy? oooh! also! what is ciara/her dad's/his sigil? we could complete the varmont collection heehee -- the old official tinctures left over are tawny/tenne (orange/brown), sanguine/murray (maroon), and furs (ermine, vair, counter vair, pean, potent counter potent, etc) but lbr this is a made up world! we can use any colors we like ;DDDDD

ooc | Alaric & Cillian

I'm guessing Alaric may know Cillian as Lord Ormond?? I do think Alaric would take an interest in him if he ever saw how cozy he and his niece have been getting!

#not me going insane over crests again im so sorry alksdjfkljsdfjdsf #its what i doooo #ksdlafjklsdjfjsdf #ooc #alaric varmont

[forgottencillian]

OOC | Ronan & Eithne

so ronan def views eithne as a sister/cousin sort and wants to look out for her no matter what!! like his siblings, ronan grew up around malconaire, but when he heard of the war, he left to go fight as a soldier, not staying put to defend specifically malconaire, like cillian did, so he saw all sorts of fighting all over the place, and i think may even have been a soldier before war came ~to astaira so, one way or another, he's been fighting for astaira against roderick for years and years, and this defeat was literally his worst nightmare

knowing that the malconaires have suffered particularly cruelly since the war is a knife in his heart, and he's esp horrified at the recent development of cassimir -- since im surE cillian has told him abt that lakjsdfkjdjsf but yeah i doubt he's seen her since he attacked some varmonts and became a wanted man, but he might sneak over to be like DONT DO IT EITHNE DONT DO IT he does NOT have a high opinion of the vasilievas, esp since cassimir refused to fight w lord m!!!

edit: im also realizing...i think ronan had a bit of a thing for eithne, back in the days just before the war smh i doubt he ever said/did anything abt it but lsdkajfjkdsf here we are hahaha

#ooc #about #eithne malconaire #caoimhe frost #valentina malconaire #macdara malconaire #sorcha malconaire #saoirse frost #aoife malconaire #brigit malconaire #roisin malconaire #ronan frost

[forgottencillian]

OOC | Frosts & Pets

hello, friends, i am here with a VERY important announcement!! the frosts have three dogs and a cat!! id already mentioned the cat but more about her is coming <3 as for the pups, these dogs were initially runts in various litters of the malconaire sheep dogs that tended the malconaire herds etc. bc they were runts in too-large litters, these puppies required human care and thus the frosts took them home to hand-nurse and raise them, but!! lbr they're part of the family now <33333

DOGS

RITH (irish, meaning run)

LEISCE (irish, meaning laze)

COIRT (irish, meaning bark)

CAT

MIOTAS (irish, meaning fable)

ABOUT THE DOGGIES

i think you can tell a lil abt personalities from their names hahaha but ill def give you a lil more info abt each of them in a bit <3 all of three of them are family dogs who grew up w the frosts always there and regard all three frosts as well as the reaves and the og malconaire sisters as part of their multi-species pack hahaha

leisce and coirt remain at the frost abode, and keep cillian company when his siblings are away and theyre not busy in the fields with the sheep (there are other dogs so they tend to come and go to work with him and return to him to head home and flop in front of the fire in the evenings)

rith, however, was always ronan's puppy and, when he went away to war, rith was inconsolable. after a time, rith ran away to find him and has been been through his side through everything ever since and yes ngl to use modern parlance rith is 100% ronan's emotional support dog lbr you mess with rith, you mess w ronan!!!! rith currently lives in the woods w ronan and is, as far as cillian is concerned, the unofficial mascot of the rebellion sdklajfksdf

RITH

rith is the cleverest of the trio, and also the wisest. patient, clever, loyal, sure-legged. as his name suggests, rith's extremely fast, though as he's getting on in years he's a lil less eager to race around than he was as a pup, but when he does you'll be surprised how fast he is. extremely well trained and obedient, he knows ronan's every move and will readily respond to a series of whistles from him, their own secret language. unlike his canine brothers, rith is part sheep dog and part hunting dog from a brood that was in no way planned when one of lord malconaire's hunting dogs pursued a forbidden love w one of the sheep dogs.

LEISCE

the sleepiest dog in the world, leisce is the oldest dog but don't let his laziness fool you: he's always been this way. he likes nothing better than lollygagging about in the bright sunshine and receiving pets. tho technically a working dog, he's more likely to snuggle the sheep than herd them, but he is very protective when it comes right down to it! he is, however, difficult to persuade to move. you'd do better to just step over him when he plants. leisce is saoirse's favorite and, when she's home, she lets him sleep in her bed with her (don't tell cillian or ronan!). (saoirse didn't want to be too obtrusive, so saoirse only brings miotas, back and forth w her from lorcan.) fortunately, leisce and miotas are also fast friends, though miotas loves to prank!

COIRT

vocal and excitable, coirt is the youngest of the dogs and also sometimes known as rinceoir (dancer) to cillian for his habit of leaping up on his back legs and half-walking about in excitement when he smells things. as you've perhaps guessed, given his name, he is extrememly curious and barks constantly. was that a rabbit or a breeze? let's assume rabbit! BARK! was that anything at all? who knows! BARK! fortunately, this is a very cheerful sound and coirt is always deeply happy to see anyone and everyone (esp if they come bearing scraps!). unlike leisce, he hardly ever lazes about, preferring to continuously sniff everything within reach, though the pair do love to cuddle at night and generally sleep together in front of the fire most nights! this is cillian's four-legged bestie (but i hc coirt often abandons cillian to hang w @forgottenpercy, uninvited! -- cillian doesn't mind tho).

MIOTAS

a sleek black cat, miotas is a mischief-maker (absolutely the sort of cat who jumps off on the mantel only to push things off it) and, as saoirse says, enjoys making trouble. she esp loves pranking the dogs (particularly coirt, mostly bc he's the easiest target due to his excitable nature). miotas is very clever and very faithful and, while quite independent, she is also very protective of the trio of puppers: miotas is absolutely the kind of cat who would fight a crocodile to protect her loved ones. she can absolutely be a touch aloof, but she also likes to be cuddly when she's in the mood, and she loves to travel by slinging herself around saoirse's shoulders like a scarf. no one knows precisely what miotas' origins are, beyond like being one of the malconaire barn cats. saoirse found her one day on the property as a tiny kitten, separated from her mother and litter and in of care. like the dogs, she was brought home and nursed by hand, and she's been saoirse's faithful shadow ever since.

#ooc #about #rith #leisce #coirt #ronan frost #saoirse frost #percy reaves #miotas #eithne malconaire #aoife malconaire #brigit malconaire #roisin malconaire

[forgottencillian]

cillian & percy: have you seen the...? oh.

~Flashback~

"You'd leave your head behind if it wasn't attached," Percy was unamused. In his hands he held Cillian's disguise – rather confident in this moment that Cillian would have misplaced it completely if he hadn't kept track of it. "This is a bad idea, Cillian. I don't think you should do this."

It was clear from Cillian's expression alone that turning back now was not an option. Percy didn't think it ever really had been since his friend hatched his scheme. "And leave Diarmuid to his fate? Never!"

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to do this earlier?" Percy asked. It had been only moments ago that Cillian had burst into the stables and rambled off his plan only after Percy had asked him why it was, exactly, that Cillian suddenly had a need for him to sneak him into the castle.

"Because there wasn't time, Perce." A beat. "Also, you would have said no."

Percy did not respond to this: Cillian was right about that.

"Maybe I should do it?" Percy cut in. "I know the palace. I can get in and out before they know I've even been there."

"They'll recognize you. It has to be me. Plus, I have my undeniable charm to rely on."

"Hmm, that's what I'm afraid of." Cillian could talk himself out of a rough spot – Percy had witnessed it on more than one occasion – but he also had a terrible habit of talking himself into them almost as often.

"Don't talk to anyone unless you have to," Percy reminded.

"Yes, sir," Cillian replied in a slightly mocking tone that Percy chose to ignore.

"And Cillian?"

"Yes?"

"Just ... watch yourself in there." Percy knew he would likely spend his time worrying over whether or not Cillian was okay until he saw him safely back out of here with Diarmuid by his side.

"Don't I always?"

#percy reaves #drabble #ask #THE LEVELS OF DUMBASSERY BEING PERPETRATED HERE I <333333 #cillian out here like TIME TO LIVEN UP YOUR LIFE and poor percy like 'no god pls dont' but cillian cant hear him bc hes too busy exhibiting #behavior bc he's a giant idiot w the worlds biggest heart whod do anything for someone in need <333333 and ultimately percy's the same way #and so he gets it but also it pains him and gahhhhhh #KIDDOS #also lbr cillian ~would lose his head if it weren't attached...and lbr if he keeps going the way he is now w the varmonts #he might still lose his head even tho it currently ~is attached #“but he also had a terrible habit of talking himself into them almost as often” SCREAM also sm yesssss #sldkjfalksdjfljksdf #there's no denying it...but cillian will stiLL try lbr alkjsdfkjldsf #percy deserves better omg <333333 #baby boyssss

[forgottencillian]

World Means Nothing | Cillian & Edmund

It was inevitable they'd meet again, much as Cillian had avoided it. He'd never much wanted to wait on the Varmont boys, but now that he knew one of them to be directly responsible for the Battle of Malconaire, he couldn't face it. His hands were clammy, his breathing shallow, his heart hammering. Images of the battle whirled before him, more real than his surroundings. Whatever happened, the mere mention of them had him in its clutches, but the recent uprising and its swift and cruel retribution had given him another burst of vision. This time, when he saw Edmund again, he didn't see images of the war -- he saw only red.

Yet, he was strangely calm as he approached the prince. "Morning," he said, closing the stable doors as he emerged from brushing down Brigit's beautiful stallion, and approached Edmund. "I'd ask you what brings you here, but I think we both know." He tilted his head, barely stopping himself from accusing Edmund of harassing Rosie. But he wasn't here to argue today, no. He was here for information.

"I've wanted to speak to you since the..." he arched his brows. "The ice ball. I want you to know why I behaved the way I did." Leaning against the fence, he smiled, but the look did not reach his eyes. "I'm one of the lucky ones, you see: a survivor of the Battle of Malconaire."

He paused, watching Edmund carefully for any reaction. "I watched scores of my lifelong friends and neighbors cut down. Time and again, I raised the banner of Malconaire till it was shred to ribbons. I held my lord as he died in my arms, begging me to watch over his daughters because it was clear that whoever had orchestrated that battle had no pity in his heart, and I swore to give my very life, if necessary, to defend them."

He paused, still strangely calm as he spoke. "I don't tell you this to beg forgiveness or as an excuse. I have an oath to fulfill, you see. I tell you this because I want you to know that I behaved as I did because I learned that night, from your very lips, that you or one of your brothers was directly responsible for the suffering that has haunted my people for years, and I want you to remember that, while you're here to pay attentions to Lord Malconaire's youngest child, it is your family who left her fatherless. I want you to remember, too, that I warned you what the people would think of you and yours at the ice ball. What they might do. And they did, indeed, show their hand. You may have forgotten our suffering, but I'll give you this final warning: Astairans never shall.

"I tell you this, too, because for all that I know you shall like as not cart me away in irons, I have one boon left to ask in the name of my ladies. I want to know which one of you did it." His jaw set finally into a snarl. "Which one of you murdered Lord Malconaire?"

#world means nothing #yeah that is literally a lyric 'when the world means nothing to me' is the full lyric #and it happens to be what im listening to rn sooo but also i do feel like cillian's there abt now so...im telling myself it works alskdjfak #CILLIAN!!!! WHATRE YOU DOINGGGG OMMMGGGG #this is noT what i was planning to write pls stop this!!!!!! #it was actually gonna be slightly more funny: him-avoiding-edmund-fail kinda thread but cillian woke up and chose violence...again laksdjfl #in my mind it was gonna be a whole plot of tryna figure out who'd done it but apparently!!!! he's just gonna ask asldkjfkldjfjdf #me packing cillian a lil sammie for his jaunt to jail: you do you friend #edmund varmont #comment

[forgottencillian]

Guardians preserve us, prayed Cillian, fervently. It was a pang, this: witnessing the torment on her face and he blamed himself for that, too. He'd put it there, after all. But how could he not have done? Ignorance, in this instance, might well prove danger, as well. He wanted to be brave for her, to protect her, but all he could hear was the too-loud crackle of garrulous laughter, and the banging of war drums in the same rhythm as his hammering beartbeat, and her face was too pale, too haunted. He had to be brave.

Placing a hand on her shoulder to help steady her, he tried to smile reassuringly. He'd not meant to scare her, but how could he avoid it? "It's all right, Aoife" he told her. "I'm not going to let a thing happen to you or your sisters. I swore it to your father, and I swear it now to you."

That most unanswereable question. Aoife's eyes searched his, and breathing out long and slow, he ran his hand through his hair, inadvertently glancing towards the banners upon the wall as if he half-expected that vicious flock to soar free of their tapestries and massacre the celebrants below.

"I know because..." he turned more fully to the banners, directing her to do likewise. "I know because those very banners fluttered overhead at the Battle of Malconaire, Aoife, and I know because i just spoke to...Rosie's Varmont," he added, his tone turning less apologetic and slightly moroe terse -- he refused to call them princes and preferred to skip their names, as well ("It humanizes them," he'd once jested to Brigit) -- as he alluded to Edmund. "And he said that those are the personal banners of Roderick and his various offspring." Perhaps unsurprisingly, all but Cassandra sported one: the only child he saw as truly a daughter and, thus, apparently unworthy of respect.

He turned back to her. "I don't know which one, Aoife, but I know this: one of those so-called princes butchered your father and the good people of Astaira that day. One of them is responsible for that evil, and for all the evil that has befallen us since."

Troubling Night || Cillian + Aoife

After almost an hour of wandering the halls with Princess Cassandra, Aoife was happy to find herself alone once again. She'd heard an earful about this mysterious Lord that had captured the fancy of the youngest princess and was wondering if he was real or just a figment of her imagination from the absurdity of some of the tales.

Aoife, who had only come into the entrance hall to prove to herself that the man in the great hall was not Cillian, was weaving her way through the labyrith of halls back towards the sounds of the ball. Turning the corner, she found a figure standing half concealed in the shadows. He turned quickly and Aoife's eyes went wide as she came face to face with Cillian.

"What are you doing in here?" Aoife asked, looking him up and down. She vaguely recognized some of the garments from her father's closet, though where he'd found such an elaborate tabard, "... what are you wearing?"

He said nothing in response to her questions but her mind was already working. The youngest princess searching for the mysterious Lord Ormond in the same hall where Aoife had thought she'd spotted Cillian... The Lord's elaborate tales Cassandra had retold to Aoife sounding vaguely familiar from books she'd read as a child...

"No... Oh, Cillian... tell me you aren't pretending to be Lord Ormond?" she said quietly, though she already knew the truth.

"Cillian, you can't--" she began but stopped as he turned to face her. His face was twisted into an expression which she hadn't seen before from him-- the closest she could remember was when he had returned to the house after the battle was lost and the father killed.

"What's wrong?" she immediately inquired, walking towards him quickly, reaching out to grab his hands in hers. There was a pain in his eyes that worried her. "What's happened?"

#comment #aoife malconaire #troubling night #cillian is NOT feeling the forgiveness tonight!!!!!

[forgottencillian]

Brigit x Cillian “This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had. Of course I’m in.”

flashback

"It's simple," said Cillian, once again holding up the tattered remnants of the Ormond standard, just as he'd done at Malconaire's last stand. "I'm going to save Diarmuid with this."

This latest of Valentina's crimes was, perhaps, the most heinous, yet. At least, when she'd abandoned the people on the river bend and later, when she'd walled herself up inside Malconaire, she hadn't been actively harming her people, but this? This couldn't be construed as anything else. When Lord Malconaire's ancient, faithful butler had finally outrun his usefulness to her, struggling with the stairs, instead of providing him a comfortable retirement, as Lord Malconaire had done with all his older servants, Valentina had decided there was one last task he might fulfill in service to her. Accusing him of thievery, she had invoked Roderick's new policy of serfdom, and sold old Diarmuid off, buying herself an ostentacious pair of emerald earrings that same day, presumably with the funds she'd received in exchange.

"You're going to...save Diarmuid with a war banner?" Brigit placed her hands on her hips. "What? Are you marching off to battle, again? I don't think you facing down an entire army alone will do Diarmuid any good, whatsoever."

Cillian's sigh was heavy. "No," he said, tersely. "I want you to ask Rosie to make this into a surcoat."

Brigit shrugged. "Is this your way of telling me you're leaving our service?"

"What? No!"

"Lord Ormond can't employ you--"

"Of course not!" blurted Cillian. "I'm going to pretend to be him!"

Brigit's lips parted, brows crouching low over her bright blue eyes. "You're what?!"

"Before you object--"

"He's dead!"

"I know! I'm the one who told you that--"

"And you'll be arrested!"

"No, I won't! Breda," he began, invoking his childhood pet name for her for the first time since she'd rejected him. "Let me explain."

Brigit folded her arms over her chest, brows arching expectantly.

Sighing, Cillian laughed despite himself and raked his hand through his hair. "It's simple. There was confusion, even here amongst Astairans before Roderick ever showed his face, as to who the true Lord of Ormond really was and, yes, its known that the Lord of Ormond died at Malconaire, I'm sure, but both of them? Who was this lord? Besides, technically the younger lord is just...missing," he shook his head. "You and I may know its not like him to just...hide away if he were alive, but how should Roderick know that? And, missing as he is...What's to keep him from resurfacing? Anyway, it's confusing and I doubt the Varmonts have made hide nor hair of any of it, anyway.

"That's where this comes in," he added, gesturing to the standard. "Proof I am who I say I am. Look at the dye on this: we can't make this shade in Malconaire. No one can, because the plant required only grows there. No one can doubt that this cloth is from Ormond, and besides this is certainly their arms, and no one can deny it."

"And its illegal for anyone else to wear it! You know Varmont's laws, Cillian: its illegal to even dress 'above' your station! Your best scenario is that he only arrests you. Worse, he could put you to work in his mines and kill you with the fumes or cut off your hands or simply behead you, if he wished! This is stupid, Cillian."

"And what's the alternative, Brigit? I allow our friend be worked to death, instead?"

She was quiet for a long moment. "Let's say they buy this hook, line, and, sinker. How does any of this benefit Diarmuid?"

Cillian arched a mischievous brow and, grinning, he reached into his pocket, drawing out a pair of ostentatious emerald earrings. "As a peer, Lord Ormond can buy out Diarmuid's contract from the Varmonts, and Valentina can't contest Lord Ormond's actions as she could if you or one of your sisters were to buy him out. Nor will it be strange for Lord Ormond to have this amount of coin in his pocket. But, again, I need your help to...sell these in exchange for coin." He held the earrings up, dangling them. They glittered green as Valentina's envy in the shining sun.

Snatching them, Brigit laid them out in her hand. "They're hideous." She shook her head. "Even if they were beautiful...Who could be heartless...to sell a man for them?"

"Help me, Breda. Please. I can save him, but I need your help. No one will believe that I didn't steal them, but a Lady of Malconaire might believably have fine jeweles to sell."

"Valentina will have my hide if I'm caught."

"I know I'm asking a lot--"

Brigit shook her head. Raising her head to look him in the eye, she laughed. "This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had. Of course I’m in."

She gleamed in the golden sun, flaxen locks bright as a nimbus, sapphire orbs glowing with mischief, and Cillian's heart gave a tug inside him, watching her, shining with selfless determination.

His voice, when he spoke was low, and very low. He did not even know if she heard him but, then, he didn't wholly mean for her to hear. He didn't wholly mean to have said it. "That's my girl."

#anyway here have a thing #idk what this is #drabble #ask #brigit malconaire

[forgottencillian]

cillian/eithne: "we all have our secrets, don't we?"

Eithne stopped in her tracks at Cillian's words. She turned slowly to face him as he hovered near the kitchen door.

"Brigit, I assume?" she asked. Cillian's normally bright face was dark now as he watched her. He simply nodded.

Eithne couldn't be upset with her sister for telling Cillian about the engagement. Part of her had known swearing Brigit to secrecy was a waste and the same part of her had secretly hoped Brigit would tell Cillian so she didn't have to see his reaction.

"Say something, Cillian."

"You can't do this."

Eithne was silent for a few beats.

"... say something else."

"What else is there to say?" Cillian exclaimed, crossing the kitchen towards her. "Eithne, I swore to your father I would take care of you and your sisters... I cannot let you marry that brute of a man!"

"You can't stop me, Cillian," Eithne reached out to take his hand but he pulled away, taking a few steps backwards.

"I made promises, too... to Father, to everyone who lives here at Malconaire," Eithne needed him to understand her reasons but she knew anything she said wouldn't change his mind.

"I need you to help me," Eithne took a few steps forward, closing the space Cillian had made between the pair.

"To run away and marry almost anyone else? Gladly."

"Help me with Malconaire," Eithne answered gently. "Father and I had always agreed that there was only one person who could be the steward of Malconaire to work with me... You. If the war hadn't happened..." Eithne's voice trailed off.

"I told Cassimir there were conditions that must be met before our wedding day and appointing you as steward is top of the list. It... it will take time, of course, before things can be righted but I know you love this place just as much as I do. You've cared for it almost single handedly these past two years." "Please, Cillian... Tell me you'll do this for Malconaire... and for father."

#'i need ur help' SOBBBBBBBB #little as he wanted to i knowwww cillian softened a fraction at those words even when he was def initially thinking she meant he needed his #help convincing her sisters!!!!!!! how could he deny eithne his help ever?????? when she's asking for it!!!!!! #so ofc he deflects w a joke -- one he also v v truly means mind you! lkajsdfkljsdkjsdjf #eithne does everything always to help others!!!!!! she's so brave and kind and selfless and she's asking for help and iM SOFFFTTTT #and then he's taken aback by what she says!!!! even in all this she's still thinking of others #but ~that isn't surprising so much as heartbreaking #what surprises him is that she thinks ~he's up to the task as being her partner in that goal!!!!!!! and obv hed give his all to do it!!!! i #his own way he's ~already giving his all to help the ppl re: the resistance!!!!!! but her putting that trust in him!!! #his lil heart breaking w pride and astonishment!!!! totally overwhelmed #esp framed as it is in her self-sacrifice!!!!!!!! #ofc he wants to help!!!! but he doesn't wanna step on ~her to do that!!!! and if he ~is meant to be her partner then she's someone ~he's #gotta help too!!!!!!!! #but that's always been true!!!!! and now he's gotta think of a way out!!!!! (but lbr that'll probs be more chaotic than helpful alkjsdfkjld #his intentions are good!!!!! lakjsdfkljsdjf) #drabble #eithne malconaire #about

[forgottencillian]

ok so since you wrote the above, we've hashed out all sorts of info and i feel like i can come at this a lil more informed heehee <3333333

ok, so, now that we know that the malconaire/frost/reaves found family circuit is super profound and that the frosts are the kids of the prev steward and were meant to follow him etc etc etc, i dEF think these two have probs knows e/o since they were kids!! honestly idk how well they'd know e/o just bc i def think cillian was overawed by the whole ~royal mystique~ pervading the hosue of stafford so he was probs uncharacteristically quiet/humble around them just bc wow!!! they're giivng up sm for us!!!! etc etc etc but also, as we all know, cillian being uncharacteristically reserved and respectful is still probs pr close to a normal amount of talking for most ppl lbr lakjsdflkjsdfsdf so who knows!! hahahaha (also omg poor aria that had to be so traumatic honestly!!)

but yesss!!! i do think roderick largely overlooks the servants and, while they probs have check points to check in and out of the castle/log all that stuff since they're astairans and roderick is, in fact, paranoid, they deffffff have muchhhhh more autonomy to come and go!!! they can pr much do it at will bc again roderick highkey underestimates how much a servant can even do/lowkey forgets they exist ngl lakjsdfjkldsf in terms of ~my varmonts, anyway, amira is def gonna be their biggest threat just bc she remembers they exist and suspects everyone bc who ever heard of optimism or trust!! fools, that's who!! alksdjflkjsdjfsdf but in that godfrey is courting astaira, and thus they're (potentially) becoming lowkey allied w edmund, amira isn't likely to want to oppose them, ultimately, either (if all goes to godfrey's chaotic plans!) alskdjfkjsdf

so yes!! cillian (and saoirse, too!) are def happy to carry messages back and forth and, im guessing, @forgottenpercy too!? but anyway i can def speak for the frosts on that one! also i can defffffff see cillian asp spilling the beans abt the resistance!!!! and how they're searching for siobhan every single day!!! the last of which might actually be more depressing than he means it bc it means that they haven't found her/don't have her w them, buT he means it as hopeful like there's someone out there actively tryna help siobhan!! lakjdsfjk but anyway!! klsdjafkljsdf

but, yes, as we now know, roderick has delcared her a bastrd but that won't deter cillian, at least, from thinking any differently of her!!!! even if it were true, he wouldn't think differently of her, but he doesn't even believe it, either! i ~can def asp see roderick potentially declaring her dead and then claiming that she's just a pretender if siobhan does ever resurface hahaha but he hasn't been pushed to that yet! he's still hopeful of finding her laksjdfkjsldf

im also realizing that he might hope, if/when he does find her, to marry eilia himself and then marry aria and shiv to arthur and edmund respectively???? bc he doesn't want the stafford bloodline going anywhere but to ~his bloodline!!! but ngl he's literally JUST as (if not more so!) likely to marry them to his kids just to prove how lovely and cozy it al is and then have them 'tragically' and v conveniently die before any kids can be born so that the only stafford descenants are roderick's own bc he's always lowkey in competition w his three potential heirs which is why he'll never declare an official one alksdjfkljdkjfdsf SCREAM anyway...gonna @forgottenroderick bc he just now revealed this plan to me alkjsdfkljdsf thanks, guy lkajdflkjsdkjf

OOC | Cillian & Aria

cillian is big time #teamstafford !!!!! he wants eilionoraback on that throne in her own right and aria restored to her rightful place as heiress etc!!!!

also, i have a feeling cillian knows or at least suspects that his bestie, percy, has a thing for aria and cillian is probs out here captaining that ship tbqh hahaha (roderick on the other hand like NO royal blood goes where ~i say it does sdklfjakldsf but anyway this isn't roderick's blog sooooo ;D) tbh this is def unrealistic but cillian doesn't like to think about these things bc he too has his sights on either a great lady or a literal princess sooooo ;DDDD but most importantly he wants both percy AND aria to be happy!

anyway, tbh these concerns of the heart have def taken a back seat to the whole we-just-got-invaded thing and cillian is secretly part of the resistance and def wants to put the staffords back in power <3 anyway, i can def potentially see him taking advantage of her connection to the malconaires to slip her notes and such etc if/when things start going down etc!

#ooc #aria stafford #roderick varmont #wtf my dude #pls dont force wives on ur kids just to kiLL them how much trauma does everyone realistically need omggggg

[forgottencillian]

ok so i ~do think cillian took the revelation that she'd lied to them pr badly at first, but i imagine that maybe percy (and the obv potential benefits of having a varmont spy!) he was probs talked into at the v least using her and being wary!! i do think that was his position for awhile and he was not!!!! feeling!!! the trust!!! but then...

so, first off, im thinking in light of [ this ], that he's now got a sort of cyclical view of this relationship where she is sort of symbolic to him of how he ought to maybe give ppl the benefit of the doublt more often bc, one way or another, she made an active choice to save him!! either she meant to betray him but ultimately chose the resistance over her family, or else she risked her skin to protect him from them, but one way or another he was busy doubting her and she won his trust here!

i also think this'll impact ~other doubts he has going forward bc he's like 'she was a literal varmont [aka evil in his mind lakjsdkfljdf] but she still chose the greater good! i might be sus of this person, but i also need to remember that ppl can make surprising choices and do the right thing even w their backs to the wall' etc!! idk if that'll be good, bad, or ugly for him going forward hahaha but i do think he can be a bit cynical at first blush and remembering this will help him sign and try to sometimes give the benef it of the doubt

so, i ~do think that cillian is still pr anti varmont in general, esp against roderick but also to a smaller extent against ot3: succession and even sebastian a bit simply bc he sees them flirting w his ladies/bird banners!!!!/believes they wanna/can keep roderick's whole thing going and he is noT a fan!!!!! i do think between ciara and cassandra he's lightened up his stance on the general varmonts tho like...maybe?? he ought to judge them each as individuals rather than as a whole like roanan does! laksdjfkljdsf revolutionary thought i know hahaha but after the conquest that was a big journey for him i think honestly!

but yeah i think cillian would ultimately be in her corner (mostly) when ciara argues that the rest of her family shouldn't be harmed!!! except ot3: succession!!! i think he could even (w a big sigh) admit that maybe sebstian isn't really that bad maybe possibly after all ;askdjfklsdjf and i do think he kinda underestimates how dogmatic / obsessive ronan has become on that point honestly!! and it'll freak him out honestly when he ~does see it and that'll have him even further questioning how far he himself has gone off the deep end and if he needs to stop/take on his own brother in order to do the right thing!! which somehow might be saving the lives of ppl he detests!! (cillian probably -- even in this potential au!: 'i said that you shouldn't be slaughtered for smth someone else did/smth you haven't even done yet, not that i forgive you for the part you've already played, yourselves!') but anyway here we are lkajsflkjsdf anyway @forgottenronan

i do also think that, all the above paired w her active desire not to know too much, is def a v positive sign in cillian's view!! 'she just wants to be helpful, not to find out anything!' sort of thing!! ironically, as you said, i ~do think this'll make him more likely to trust her w stuff alksdjfljsdf ciara: 'pls dont tell me!' cillian: 'wow! that's so cool -- here's the latest!' no but i do think there's still stuff he holds back esp abt anti-varmont stuff, but now its mostly out of a wish to spare her, given that it'll probs put her in an untenable situation as a spy and be emotionally rough etc etc, rather than from a lack of trust!

i don't mean to say that i think he trusts her completely now, but i think he's more sympathetic to why she might betray him! like i said, i think he's realizing that the roderick!varmonts are for her as the malconaires are for him and like??? what would he do if eithne gradually declained till she's ordering innocents burned!! like, ~his first instinct would be to try to save ~her from herself/put a stop to the violence and he'd have to be pushed realllllllly far to actively go against her, so he's like 'yikes!! that sucks so hard' basically re: what she must be going through!

also i love her helping w the ormond thing!!! and honestly she's in perf position to do just that no lie!!! honestly he may or may not even know it, but there's probs a loT of times that she kept him from getting caught that way no lie alksjdfakljsdkfjsdf

ooc | Ciara & Cillian

Not sure what Cillian would think of Ciara?? but I can see where he would trust her, but also where he would be the most skeptical of everyone in the group lmao???

If they do get along, I can see where Ciara may have even helped Cillian w/ the whole sneaking-into-the-castle-dressed-as-a-lord thing or at least help to later collaborate any stories about the mysterious ~Lord Frost~, as well as to help run interference if she's ever at the Malconaire's place when the Varmonts are also around.

I also don't think she'd be 100% cool w/ him flirting w/ Cassandra, but also if anyone understands having to lie to people you care about for The Cause, it's Ciara, so she wouldn't be mad w/ him, but I do think she'd occasionally remind him "not to break her heart" (but lbr, it's Cass, so I think Ciara already knows that that is bound to happen eventually w/ this relationship)

#ooc #ciara varmont #ronan frost #about

[forgottencillian]

cillian: what did you want to tell me?

~ Flashback ~

While it had never been confirmed to her, she had begun to suspect that, perhaps, that the resistance numbers were far fewer than she had once imagined. And if this suspicion was correct, Cillian Frost would be the key to everything.

If she exposed him, the rest of them would fall.

Ronan would stop at nothing to ensure that his brother was rescued and Percy, Kale and Finn would both follow his plans without a second thought -- and there would be nothing that the more levelheaded females of the group would be able to say to make them reconsider. It was clear that they were all bound together by something stronger than their shared believes. They were a family and that meant that they'd risk everything -- including the greater good -- for the good of each other.

The moment was nearing now: Cillian was to come to the palace today. She'd told him that her cousin and his sons would be away from the castle on a hunt and therefore it would be safe to assume his Lord Ormond persona and gather any information he could by speaking with the courtiers.

That had all been a lie.

In fact her cousins were all set to meet her here shortly for tea this afternoon. With Arthur and Edmund who knew him as Cillian the servant and Cassandra who knew him as Cillian the lord, he would be held here under charges of fraud and then she could come forward as Godfrey's informant.

Ciara had sent the guards in the hall on an errand, so Cillian could sneak into her family's quarters in the castle unnoticed. He stood there now, dressed as Lord Ormond. Aside from his windblown hair, he certainly looked the part.

Once, she had aided him in his disguise. His intentions to become Lord Cillian Ormond had been noble ones and, even now, she had to commend him for the selfless act of bravery that he had performed to save the life of another. She never would have condemned him for that. It had been one of a hundred small moments that had started to revise her own opinions of all of them. And Ciara realized, not for the first time, that there was a small part of her that begged her not to do this.

But the crimes of the resistance had been many -- that was just as apparent. She knew that her own family would never be safe as long as they posed a threat to them. Had it not been clear that they meant to leave none of them alive? If she did nothing, would she be responsible for the death of her beloved cousins? Her father? And could they truly blame her for doing whatever it took to ensure their lives, when surely they would do the same for their own?

Ciara had told Percy to make certain that Cillian came to her immediately, before he did anything else. "I'm sorry I'm late," Cillian explained, "Valentina was in one of her moods and I -- I don't like to take the main road from Malconaire." The impatience in his voice was apparent. He wanted to make the most of the time he had left, "What is it you wanted to tell me?"

AI don't like to take the main road from Malconaire.

Ciara remembered the first time she'd seen it: the Pyre Walk was horrific even in the weeks following the burnings -- the half decayed; half scorched bodies that still remained hanging left behind as a warning. She hadn't known what had happened there, when they'd initially ridden past it, and had been told by one of her attendants that it was surely part of some barbaric Astairan tradition: they worshiped demons here, after all.

It wasn't until later that she had heard the truth of it: how her cousin had rounded up anyone who had ever been suspected to be a witch and had them burned. None of them had had a trial; none of them had had any real proof laid against them and all of them had died.

Cillian was looking at her, expectedly. Ciara still had not given him an answer. "Are you alright?"

She had been so close to exposing him, but it was those memories that changed her mind. Whatever happened -- whoever became ruler of Astaira next -- it was suddenly very clear to her that it could not remain in the hands of Roderick. Whatever the consequences of her actions, she did not want to see the horrors of the Pyre Walk repeated.

So Cillian must live to see another day.

"I -- I don't think you should do this, Cillian. It's too dangerous today. I'm sorry, but -- you must leave. Now." How long did they have? Since he had arrived late, she suspected that they had mere moments to spare. "Here -- " She practically shoved him through the door, "down through the servant's entrance. No should see you."

Before Cillian could protest, there was a knock at the door.

Cillian didn't move.

"Cillian, you can't be here -- "

"I don't think I've ever told you before but ... thank you. For everything."

"This is hardly the time -- "

"I know but ... this can't be easy. So, thank you. From all of us."

Cillian had never said anything like that to her, before. She could tell that he had never truly trusted her -- even if her assistance with his Lord Ormond disguise had softened him, somewhat. For a moment, she wondered if he had somehow known that she had changed her mind: that she had just then decided to save him.

Another knock upon the door, "Cillian if you don't leave now, I -- "

"Where's the fun if we don't press our luck a little?" But he held up his hands in defeat as he said it and stepped back into the passage. Ciara slammed the door behind him, just as the door opened and her royal cousins were announced.

#ciara varmont #drabble #he's out here like 'ok. maybe she's cool after all' #honestly he deffff knows this has to be tough on her but idk if he appreciates just ~how like...what would he do if one of the og malcoaire #slowly declined over time till one day they decided to start burning innocents who depended on them like ????? those're her cousins!!!!! #and i think he gets a lil more of a taste here watching her in her own chambers w her cousins visiting like these aren't ~just wicked #overlords to her!!! #love this love them #also omg cillian being the key to bringing down the resistance i SCREAM bc i never really fully thought that through but she's so right!!!! #also the way you drew the direct comparison of the frosts potentially choosing family over the greater good while ciara is herself struggli #*struggling w exactly that!!!!! L O V E !!!!!! #but yeah cillian has nooooo idea that he's that important #that his reckless could tear down everything he's fighting for!! #ronan frost #would 100% pull a jon snow and get himself stabbed like caesar on the wall 'for the watch' tryna save his sibling no lie aklsdjfklsjdfkjdjf #fortunately for him idk that the resistance would stab him to death...they'd all go to ~their deaths instead #this is why you gotta chill out cillian!!!!! #anyway this is brilliant and i loooooooooooveeeeee

[forgottencillian]

hi, so here's the ~other lorcan/maolcoanire/ormond pic i saw today and!! the tree is literally overlooking a lake in which a white hart is reflecting instead of the oak and i SCREAMED and anyway way i was like 'omg what if that's part of the treasure map somehow too' hahahaha aklsjdflksjdf

#ooc #about #image

[forgottencillian]

with ℒℴѵℯ

#image #ok but this is the SECOND thing ive seen today w all three of these houses and not me like what is house ormond is also part of the treasur #*map #like maybe the guardian that must be followed to find the tree and the sword is the white hart or smth idk

[forgottencillian]

It was not, then, a ride, Cillian thought in discouragement, the idea of Cassimir getting himself quite drenched nearly as pleasant as spilling red, red wine all across Arthur's white shirt.

"It is no matter. And, indeed -- how thoughtful," the prince had declared, his surprised anger softening into joviality upon seeing Eithne's horrified face. "To remember my own colors." Cillian might have admired the prince for the pluck of it in defending Eithne's feelings, had he not misliked him so very much. As it was, Cillian had found the remark detestable in its hubris -- as if he owned a color! -- and spilled a second glass.

Fighting a grin and the urge to smugly respond with: 'I am, thank you!' Cillian bit his lip to suppress either reaction. "My fingers were rather slippery last night, I fear."

He paused, absently patting the stable door. "I don't suppose it was on that account that the prince left so early? I suppose he was rather drenched." Arthur had declined to don either clothing of Cassimir's or of the late Lord Malconaire's, despite Valentina's multiple offers.

In truth, little as Cillian liked Cassimir, he was a touch surprised he had been irritated by the slight, his own feelings regarding the prince being rather undisguisedly negative. But Cillian supposed that his servant embarrassing him must outway his concerns regarding his princely rival. This in no way improved Cillian's own view of Cassimir, as he was inclined to see it -- misliking Cassimir as he did -- as reflecting upon the value Cassimir truly placed upon Eithne: his love for her being apparently, Cillian concluded, outweighed by his love for his own reputation.

"Was Eithne terribly distraught to see him go? I am, indeed, sorry to have disappointed her."

That much was true, but he ought not to have said that, in truth. Yet, Cillian couldn't resist. Firstly, Valentina was forever prohibiting Cillian from using such casual address, insisting he must call her Lady Eithne, when he'd called her by her given name his whole life. ("It is so difficult to remember these distinctions when I work alongside her in the kitchens. Perhaps if she were not made to work there, I might find my powers of recollection improved and thus not risk embarrassing you," he had once fired back. This interaction had not ended with any pleasantness.) Secondly, being accused as he now was, Cillian couldn't resist turning the knife of jealousy in Cassimir's gut. Granted, he would have made the self-same comment to Arthur about Cassimir had the opportunity presented itself, but as Cassimir was the one currently standing before him...

"I know she places such great value upon his visits."

Run Boy Run | Cillian & Cassimir

The day was so far a sunny one, but Cillian's experience told him that was not to last long. The sky was changing, streaming blue bleeding into forboding grey, and -- foreseeing rain in their not-too-distant future -- Cillian began his pre-downpour chores, herding the flock towards shelter, closing the shutters the faced the wrong direction, hauling the furniture that Valentina had had scattered across the yard to impress the princess which were, in fact, priceless antique heirlooms of the House of Malconaire (those which were Valentina's family's, he let lie).

As he heaved closed a gate to keep the sheep from wandering out beneath the trees (a favorite pastime of theirs which, in general, Cillian indulged, but not when threatened with a lightning storm), he spotted a tall, dark figure stalk out into the green. Sighing, Cillian leaned heavily against the top of the fence, watching Cassimir move towards the stables as a delightful notion occurred to him -- fooled by the brilliant sunshine, did the so-called lord (Cillian refused to see him this way, despite the Varmont inheritance laws, instead viewing Eithne as mistress of the estate and Lady Malconaire in her own right) wish to go for a ride? His timing could not possibly have been better.

Grinning, Cillian clamored over the fence, moving quickly towards the stables where he leaned on the door, watching with bemusement as Cassimir strolled deeper inside and Cillian offered up a silent prayer that this was not merely some inspection, but rather a preparation to ride.

"I just brought him in," said Cillian, pushing off the wall and nodding towards Cassimir's horse. "But I think he's eaten enough, if you've need of him?"

#god he's so chaotic i s2g lakjdsflkjdskjf honestly how hes lived this long is a mystery #comment #run boy run #cassimir malconaire

[forgottencillian]

cillian out here hanging w the rest of the varmonts as lord ormond, ready to leap under the table if arthur or edmund walk in laksjdfkljsdkjffd SCREAM 'forgive me, my lord, tis but a silly astairan supersticion! do not tell him i am here!' jk jk

no but honestly i think him knowing alaric as lord ormond makes a tonnn of sense! also i def think arthur would be like 'uncle im on the hunt for this lord ormond fellow so pls keep an eye out. he's an elusive one! whenever im told he's in a room, he's always just left and it's just one of the malconaires' servants standing there!' jk jk -- kind of ;DDDD but anywayyyy i do think arthur would rest a lot easier if he knows alaric's met ormond hahaha but im not here to talk abt arthur!!

i def think cillian would be verrrrryyyyy interested in getting to know alaric!! he represents a whole treasure trove of info cillian would def hope to mine!! idk how effective he'd be at that hahaha but he'd want to at least try! also

cillian: pls tell me your personal badge is NOT another damn bird

ooc | Alaric & Cillian

I'm guessing Alaric may know Cillian as Lord Ormond?? I do think Alaric would take an interest in him if he ever saw how cozy he and his niece have been getting!

#ooc #alaric varmont

[forgottencillian]

"I--!" Cillian's heart leapt as a voice accosted him out of the darkness and he realized, quite suddenly, that he was not alone. Stopping dead as he recognized the voice, his heart still pounding from the shock, he struggled to think of a suitable answer to the question. "I was in the woods."

This was not a suitable excuse, given its obvious nature: he was in the process of emerging from the woods. In fact, he'd been visiting his wanted brother at a rebel meeting, reporting what he'd learned at that wretched avian-rich ice ball the other night.

"What are you doing out here, hovering in the darkness like a faerie, trying to scare a body half to death? You do realize if I'd been Rosie, I'd be halfway to the castle by now in panicked flight!"

Rosie was a rather supersticious person, believing even in fae beings well beyond simple gods and guardians. She was the type to throw salt over her shoulder, to avoid rings of mushrooms, and to sing salturn songs for the dead on cold, inky nights. Cillian, himself, was a firm believer in the tennants of the Old Faith, but he prided himself as a rational man, not going in with such silly notions -- till a voice spoke to him from out of the midnight gloom -- but he chose to dismiss the sudden fear.

Yet, as Brigit emerged into the light of his torch, all his bluff and laighter died on his lips, dread a cold wave rippling in his gut, sending icy fingers lancing through his limbs. "Brigit!" he cried, watching the shimmering path of silver tears running down her face. "Oh, Brigit, what's wrong?"

He did not think. He'd not seen her weep since her mother's loss when she had been but a wee thing and, approaching quickly, he impulsively touched her face, gently wiping away her tears, and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close, heedless of the fact that she would likely push him away the next moment. "What is it?"

Her news astonished him, and Cillian froze. "No! She didn't, she...wouldn't, she..." Stepping back, Cillian paced away in frustrating, one hand to his face before returning to Brigit. "Of course she has. Of all the--!" Rubbing his face, he let his hands fall to his sides. "We have to stop this. Even if she must martyr herself, she knows very well that her father would not -- in fact, explicitly did not -- approve. I thought that meant something to her. What is she thinking!"

In that moment, Cillian did not know what distressed him more: Eithne's stupidity, or Brigit's tears, but he knew he had to put all this to an end. He had to do something! "Do--do you want me to..." he made a vague sawing gesture. "Fix his saddle?"

He shook his head. He was angry. He was terribly angry...but could he really risk killing Cassimir? Serious injury was more likely, in the type of sabotage he referenced -- cutting the clasps just enough so they would break free only when a great speed was achieved and if the fall alone did not do damage enough, the horse's hooves were sure to do the rest -- but death was possible, in truth. Oh, it was no secret how little Cillian liked him, but murder...still, if Brigit asked him to, he would. Little enough good it'd do any of them. Cassimir was, by some horrific irony, the only thing currently standing between Malconaire and Roderick.

"Look, Brigit, I don't care what it takes," he said, quickly, coming towards her, grasping both her arms. "We're going to look after her, all right? This isn't going to happen. I won't let you and your family down again. I swear it."

What Are We Going to Do? | Brigit & Cillian

Brigit had been angry when she'd stormed from the house. Angry with Cassimir for his proposal; angry with Eithne for accepting; angry with her father for having brought him into their lives in the first place. She'd quickly saddled Feidlimid and gone to the very edge of Malconaire -- all the while her mind was formulating a plan.

They would run away. All four of them. She wasn't sure where they would go, yet, or what they would live on, but if Eithne could postpone the wedding until the spring then, perhaps, Brigit would have formulated an escape route. She would use the money she'd been saving to buy back Aoife's harp for their passage. Eithne would object, she knew, but Brigit was certain that she'd eventually come round and then they could all leave Cassimir and Valentina behind for good.

Situated where she was upon a hilltop, she could see the village below and her father's estate far away in the distance. She regretted that they would have to leave all of this, too, but none of it meant anything in comparison to Eithne. Brigit would not condemn her to a life as Cassimir's wife.

Do you really mean to leave them all behind? Brigit had been so absorbed in her own thoughts that Feidlimid's voice in her head caught her off guard. To fend for themselves?

"Nothing else matters anymore."

What do you think your father would have you do?

Brigit was irritated by the question, because she was disappointed with the answer: her father would have had them do their duty by Malconaire and running away would not have been his solution. "It doesn't matter. He's not here."

Hmm.

As unaffected as Brigit tried to seem by this point, it was at this moment she urged Feidlimid forward as though she could outrun these thoughts. But what she couldn't outrun, was the images of the village as it came closer and closer into the view: the inhabitants she'd known all of her life -- the very ones she'd risked her own life to help protect.

Feidlimid was right, wasn't he? Eithne was right. Malconaire must come first.

Suddenly, all of Brigit's anger felt useless. What else could they do? Was there no other way to save both Eithne and the people of Malconaire?

It was slow ride back to the house: the sun had started to set by the time it had come into view. After she'd dismounted Feidlimid and led him back into the stables, she spent the next hour anxiously pacing -- still dreading the inevitable return to the house. She knew it would not be wise for her to see Cassimir, just now.

In her mind, she was turning over this problem seeking any solution to it and short of Cassimir and Valentina both conveniently dying, she couldn't seem to figure it out. She'd been waiting for Cillian to come back from gods knew where -- if anyone could offer some assistance in this, it was him.

But he was not here and Brigit felt both alone and helpless.

She didn't know how long she'd been there before she finally saw Cillian make his way up the road: a torch in his hand to light the way in the darkness.

"Where on earth have you been?" She called, arms crossed tightly across her chest. It was only now that she realized that she had been crying silent tears and she quickly wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand so Cillian would not see. Brigit had not cried since her father died and only then when no one else could see. She was grateful for the cover of darkness in this particular moment.

"Cassimir has asked Eithne to marry him." She announced when he came closer.

Cassimir has asked Eithne to marry him and I don't know what to do.

"Cillian, she's said yes."

#APPARENTLY HES WILLING TO KILL FOR HER EVEN THO ITD SCREW THEM ALL JUST BC SHES CRYING AND EITHNE'S IN TROUBLE CALM DOWN CILLIAN OMGGGG #cillian 'i blame myself for ur dads death' frost everybody #SCREAM #what are we going to do #what are we going to do? #comment #brigit malconaire