When Thea and Milo returned to the Capital around noon on Sunday, the two of them were incredibly motivated after spending the entire train ride going through more of Rue's poems. Like they had taken note of in the library, they came to realize that these poems had quite a different tone from those found in the notebook. These were more positive... more hopeful poems. Plus, it also looked like he was once in love, though he seemingly lost this woman in the siege.

They were rather fun to read, giving Thea an opportunity to see a side of Rue that seemed to no longer exist, a younger, more hopeful side. However, at the same time, realizing this made Thea sad. Clearly, Rue had gone through a lot of pain and suffering to make him the man he was today.

Since Thea kept thinking that Rue was so much like her, she couldn't help herself from thinking if she was destined for something similar. Was she walking down a similar path? Was she on the way to suffering the way he did?

Thea shook her head rather aggressively, trying to tell herself not to think like that.

"You okay?" Milo asked.

They were at Milo's home, a comfortable, small and warm apartment, doing the rest of their work there rather than staying in Achlis. By around seven in the evening, the pair had realized that they were exhausted and had done enough extracting or interpreting for the day, despite still not getting through a large portion of Rue's poems. However, instead of overwhelming themselves, they decided to take all that they had already figured out and work with that, cleaning up their notes and getting ready for what was to come tomorrow. So, after grabbing dinner together at a diner nearby, the two went over to Milo's home to relax and finish up their work.

It was now nearly nine and Milo, who was sitting on a couch, was looking down at Thea, who was sitting on the rug, her notes spread out all over the floor. He wore an expression of concern, probably for more reasons than her random shaking of her head, but it was concern nonetheless.

Of course, Thea wasn't going to tell Milo that she was worrying about her own future and whether or not she was going to face some sort of tragedy that turns her into a cold, hardened woman.

Instead, she let him know of another concern she was having, something that had been bothering her since she stepped back into the Capital. "What if they don't even let me talk?"

Milo hesitated, but considered that.

"We've done all this work... we have all this information... but what if they just don't even let me talk? Like, they cut me off or try to discredit me?" She asked. "These are all high positioned Aiverian men after all... why would they want to listen to me? An Elorian girl?"

"You're not giving yourself enough credit," Milo started. "We practiced what you're going to say and from where I'm sitting, I can't imagine you won't do a good job! You're not just an Elorian girl. You're the Elorian girl who has the potential to change the President's mind."

Thea chuckled. She may not be giving herself enough credit, but he was giving her too much credit.

"And let's say they do try to silence you," Milo continued, "well, the General would never let that happen. He'd make sure you get your point across... especially since this is something that is so important. We can't risk having you not have a chance to speak."

She knew Milo was right about at least that, and it filled her with relief.

Niall wouldn't let them shut her up, so being silenced was something she didn't have to worry about... her inability to voice her thoughts wouldn't be what causes Rue to lose his life.

Milo smiled as he seemingly read her mind. "Thea... you're going to do fine... and I know the General has said this already but let's just say this doesn't work and the higher ups don't care... if that's the case, it's not your fault. You did your absolute best, you've put all of yourself into this, and you can't blame yourself if those old men decide to continue to be ignorant."

Thea smiled warmly at her friend before getting up and sitting on the couch next to him. After a moment of just sitting there in silence, feeling rather comfortable and happy, incredibly grateful for having Milo as her friend, she let out a loud sigh. "Thanks for all your help, Milo... and for believing in me."

Milo looked at her, his brown eyes incredibly warm. "You don't need to be thanking me. I'm not necessarily doing it for you," he grinned. "It just ended up that way and it's your own fault."

Thea laughed.

After spending a few minutes just relaxing, Thea cleaned up her mess, reminding herself of the curfew at the hostel, and helped Milo wash their dishes before she packed up and the two headed down the old, creaky stairs of the old apartment building to head out.

Milo was insistent on walking her home, which Thea appreciated seeing as even she didn't really like the idea of walking home through downtown alone so late, but as Thea stepped out of the building and held the door open for Milo, who followed her out to the street, she was surprised by the sight of Niall.

Niall was walking towards them, his hands in the pockets of his unbuttoned coat, eyes on the floor before he looked up at them. "Good evening," he smiled, though there was exhaustion clear in his eyes.

The sight of him filled Thea with mixed emotions.

On one hand, she felt nervous, seeing as this was the first time she was seeing him in person since the train station incident, and she knew he was here to check on her. There was no other reason Thea could think of for why the General of the Aiverian army would be walking around the outskirts of the Military District, which was where most cheaper flats were.

However, on the other hand, the sight of him made her a little excited. Her little infatuation was still strong and the sight of him in his regular clothes, a thick coat over his shoulders despite it not being that cold, was always pleasant.

"Niall," Milo smiled. "I was just heading out to walk Thea home."

"Good," Niall responded. "I was worried you would be working so hard that you would forget about the curfew at the hostel."

Thea chuckled, knowing why he may have thought she'd forget. "I'm working on that, I swear," she said.

Niall smiled at her before looking at Milo. "You can go rest, Milo, you've had a long day. I'll walk her home. I'm going in the same direction anyways."

Thea's heart skipped a beat as she looked at Milo, who hesitated. However, when he looked at Thea, he kept his eyes on her for a moment before he smiled. "Sure," he said. "You're fine with that, Thea?"

She felt her cheeks warm despite knowing that Niall probably wanted to have a moment alone with her to talk to her about the events of yesterday. "Yeah, no problem at all."

"Well, good night then, both of you," Milo said. "I will see you bright and early tomorrow."

After Milo went back into his building, Niall stepped forward, holding his hand out. "I'll take your bag for you."

She hesitated, "Oh, it's alright... it's not that heavy," but when he kept his hand out with a small smile on his face, Thea chuckled. "Well, if you insist."

After handing him her bag, the same bag with all her stuff she took back to Abureth with her which was actually a tad bit heavy, he put it over his shoulder and the two began walking. For the first little while, they talked about what Thea and Milo had managed to get done since they got back. It was a calm and relaxing conversation and to Thea, it almost felt like he was giving her an opportunity to put her thoughts together and practice for tomorrow.

However, once she had caught him up, Niall clearly decided to cut to the chase, not really wasting much more time at all. "Thea, though I don't want you to feel uncomfortable, I also don't want to beat around the bush," he started, making Thea tense up almost instantly. He noticed it. "You don't need to tell me anything you don't want to tell me," he said immediately, as if to calm her down a little. "But at the same time, I still feel the need to be transparent with you."

Thea didn't look at him. Instead, she kept her hands crossed in front of her. Though she appreciated that he wasn't going to ask for details, she was also still nervous at the thought of what being 'transparent' with her even meant.

She continued to walk as she pondered that, waiting for Niall to continue, though soon she realized that he had stopped walking, making her stop as well and turn around. She spotted him a few steps behind her, watching her intently with her bag over his shoulder and his hands in his pockets, his brows knotted in what looked like concern.

After another moment of just looking at her, he let out a breath and she saw his shoulders lower. "I'm going to just cut to the chase. I don't know what your relationship with Adrien Karney is, and I'm not going to ask you to tell me... but his name has come up a few times before in relation to you," he started. "And I know he was at the station when you... had that reaction."

She felt her palms begin to sweat as a discomfort rushed through her body. Almost instantly and completely out of her control, her hands began to shake and she was more than a little glad that she had her arms crossed tightly enough to hide it.

This was exactly what she didn't want. She didn't want to ever react like this... to shake and sweat and not be able to look him in the eye... but she couldn't help herself.

She was embarrassed.

Even before he went on, she already felt humiliated.

She didn't want Niall to know... she didn't want him to hear the rumors. She didn't want it so badly that she had avoided the thought of what she would do if he had heard them altogether, not wanting to even think about it.

And now she knew he had heard it all.

So what did he think of her now?

Her mind was whirling around in circles as she tried to think of a proper response to give him to a question he never asked. The question of whether or not those rumors were true. What could she say to him that wouldn't make him think of her differently?

However, in the midst of all the confusion in her mind, she hadn't realized that he had taken a few steps forward. She didn't realize until he was standing in front of her, a hand gently placed on her shoulder. Though she was wearing a coat, she could, rather oddly, feel the warmth of his touch on her shoulder. It made her look up at him in surprise.

"You don't need to tell me anything. You don't need to explain yourself or the situation. That's not why I'm bringing this up. If you don't want it to be my business, it won't be."

She didn't know how to respond to his words, making her look down and stay silent for a moment. "You must think I'm insane," was all she could muster up.

"I don't," was his response as he pulled his hand away. "I have no right, nor desire, to judge you for anything."

She was surprised by this response.

"What my desires do include, however, is making sure that you are comfortable and safe, Thea," he said, his glance both serious and warm at the same time. "I care about you, which is why I need to tell you that Julian and I now have reason to believe that Adrien Karney is most likely going to be at our meeting tomorrow."

Any warmth she felt from him vanished instantly. Not because of him, no, but because of the blood in her body suddenly running ice cold as a fear overwhelmed her. She tried to keep her emotions in check, but she found it harder than she would have liked. Instead, she suddenly felt light headed and... angry. "Why?" she asked, her voice suddenly cold. "Why would he..."

"Adrien Karney is Jakob Karney's son... did you know that?"

Of course.

After a moment of disbelief, she nodded. She had in fact known that Adrien was the son of the criminal and politician Jakob Karney, but she hadn't known that when they first met. Though now she wished more than anything that she had known from the beginning... that may have allowed her to make sure that she stayed as far away from Adrien as possible.

It would have saved her a lot of trouble.

"Yes," she responded, her voice now sounding rather small and quiet. "I did know that."

Niall nodded. "I asked Julian to look into it and apparently Karney has been getting his son to join him more to show his face and have people get used to him. Jakob Karney wants his son to take over when he eventually decides to retire. It's a means of keeping the Karney name in the office of the Premier of Acteon, so he's preparing his son early."

Thea was in disbelief. "Why?" was all she could say. Why was this happening to her? Why was he showing up back in her life after all these years? Why now when she needed to keep herself composed? Why now when she had someone's life in her hands?

This must have been some massive joke.

She felt overwhelmed as she thought back to the night where her relationship with Adrien ended... when, for the first time ever in her life, she actually felt absolutely alone. She had never been so scared and miserable, and she thought it would never get better.

Yet here she was back in the Capital, with new people, new friends, new feelings, thinking that things were getting better... and now... he was back.

She couldn't escape him.

Niall seemed to understand that her question wasn't meant for him to answer, and though he was clearly giving her a moment to process, when her eyes started to water, he spoke up again. "Thea," he called. When she didn't respond, he called her again and only continued when she looked up at him, her eyes watering, though not enough for the tears to escape. "What do you want to do?"

"What can I do?" she responded, her voice cracking and sounding desperate despite her attempt to hide her feelings. "There are no other options! What can I possibly do?"

Rue's life was on the line!

This meeting was supposed to be her opportunity to give Rue a chance at life!

She couldn't screw that up for him because of her own feelings... her own insecurities!

"Thea, you can do whatever you want." Niall said, seeming to read her mind and not letting her angry thoughts overtake her. "It has been like this since day one. This is your choice. You do what you want."

Thea looked at the man in disbelief. "But–"

"Listen to me and consider my words carefully, Thea. And remember, I'm speaking to you right now as Niall," he responded. "Not the General."

Her shoulders lowered a little bit, confusion on her face. "That... doesn't change..."

"Yes it does," Niall said, and after a moment of just looking at her, he sighed. He relaxed his demeanor, his expression softening too. "Did I ever tell you why I concern myself over the people who work for me? Why I try so hard to make sure that Luana, Milo, Julian, Aari, Kaya, Mrs. Railer, and now you, are all comfortable? Why I treat you all like family?"

Thea hesitated, not understanding the relevance, but she shook her head. He hadn't told her why. He had told her about the significance of them as a team, how they needed to trust and work together when making choices... how they became a family... but not why he cared so much about actually fostering this family.

"It's because I absolutely hate all of this... I hate the State. I hate the Crows. I hate all the higher ups and I hate that I'm associated with them. I hate the military and I also hate how I'm associated with that. I hate that I have this responsibility, I hate that I'm stuck here in the Capital in that massive but somehow suffocating apartment, and I hate the stares of all these people who think I deserve none of it... I hate almost everything about my job," he said, honestly. "And if I could... if I really could... I would, in an instant, drop absolutely all of this and move away from it all. I would leave and never come back."

She furrowed her brows, surprised by both the intensity and the honesty in his words.

"But I can't do that... and honestly that makes me hate and resent all of this even more. I hate knowing that no matter how much I want to, I can't drop it all and run off on my own because I wasn't given that choice. I was picked up by a man who I was forced to call my father because he thought my green eyes and black hair would be useful for his own goals. Then I was thrown into the midst of all of this without being given that choice," he said. "Now, without ever wanting it, I have the lives of millions of people within the palm of my hand and every decision I make almost always eventually leads to at least one person suffering from it, and that's if I'm being gracious with the numbers."

Thea was taken aback by this. He was forced into all of this because the man who adopted him thought he'd be useful... she didn't really know that about him, but somehow... she wasn't surprised. Though she knew very little about the previous Secretary of Defense– except that he wasn't as bad as the rest of the higher ups in the Aiverian State, though still bad enough– it made sense. It made sense that someone would find use in a mixed child like Niall, as unfair as that sounded.

"So even if I want more than anything to, at this very moment, walk away and take the next train back up to Imanay in Kiryu and just spend the rest of my life fixing up that absolutely horrific house and playing the piano... I know I can't," he continued. "I know what it's like to not have a choice... I know what it can do to you. I know what it's like to have the pressure and weight of what feels like the world on your shoulders and not be able to move an inch in the direction your heart wants to move because of it."

She nodded slowly.

Though she understood what he was saying, she couldn't exactly relate to him, seeing as for the most part, she had always had a choice in her life. Her parents, mostly thanks to her grandmother's guidance, had always allowed her to do what she wanted. As a child, she always had freedom, sometimes running out of her house after Aaryan without even letting her parents know where she was going. As an adult, her family continued to show that they trusted her. When she wanted to go to A.N.U., despite knowing the risks, they let her do it. When she decided to come back and pursue a graduate degree in Elore, they let her do it. When she wanted to go into journalism, they let her do it. And now, despite all their fears of their young daughter being in the heart of the lion's den... when she wanted to go work for the General in Achlis... they let her do it.

She had always had a choice.

Despite what happened with Adrien, that didn't change. She was back here because it was her choice.

She was lucky.

Niall didn't have that.

"And because I know that... because I know that there's nothing I can do about this decision that was forced onto me... I've come to realize that I need to work through it. I need to do what I need to do, but at the very least what I want is..." he hesitated, looking as if he was trying to find the right words, which of course, was unusual for Niall. He always seemed to know what to say. "What I want is that while I'm doing this thing that I don't want to do... at the very least I want to be doing it with people I trust and people I can love."

She believed him. She believed he was being sincere and honest about that. She believed he did love them... maybe even her, even if she was still new to all of this.

And the thought of that made her choke up a little.

"It's selfish, I know," he said with a sigh. "But aside from my mother, I never had an actual family. This... you all are the closest thing I have to that and I will do anything to make sure that you all are happy."

She was starting to understand what he meant, knowing why he tried to explain to her that she did have a choice. She knew that his understanding of what it was like to not have a choice was exactly why he made sure the people who worked for him felt like they did. He didn't want them to feel what he did. "It's not selfish," was Thea's response, her voice still soft.

"You don't have to be nice," Niall smiled at her as he began to rub the back of his neck. "It is selfish... and honestly, I've accepted it and I'm alright with that... because yes, though I would never want you all to feel like you don't have a choice when it comes to this job... I've come to realize that though I don't have that luxury, you all are here because you do. You all made the decision to be here to try and change this world of ours... and that helps me understand that even though I don't have a choice... at least I'm still doing the right thing."

Thea now smiled at that, looking down at the ground, still hugging herself.

"So, Thea... you do have a choice. I want you to have a choice," he said. "If you don't want to do this... if you can't do this... we will find another way. Whatever your history is with this man, you don't have to deal with him. I want you to feel safe and I want you to know that I am on your side."

As she looked at his face, Thea felt an overwhelming sense of comfort and... well... trust. She believed every word he was saying, and somehow, despite the fear she still felt about potentially having to be in the same room as Adrien... she felt a sense of comfort in the fact that whatever gods existed here weren't conspiring against her after all.

She had a choice. She had control. She was here because of the decisions she had made, whether good or bad.

And Niall would support whatever choice she made going forward.

"What do you want to do? I will accommodate that."

She was still hugging herself tightly as she thought. She thought deeply, for a while, about what it was she wanted. What did she want to do?

And even though she spent some time thinking, she already knew what she wanted to do. She knew from the first second what it was she wanted to do.

She wanted to save Rue.

And she didn't want Adrien to think, not for a second, that he still scared her... even if he did. Even if she was terrified of him, she didn't want him to know. And even though, moments ago, she never imagined that she would ever be able to be anywhere near the man, something changed now.

Niall was going to be there too. He would be there at the meeting.

And so would Milo.

And Julian.

And somewhere nearby was Luana and Kaya.

And a little farther away, but still there, would be Mrs. Railer... and even Aari, the family member she had yet to meet but still managed to feel some warmth towards– the pen he had given her sitting safely within the pocket of her coat.

She wasn't alone.

Even if he wanted to, Adrien couldn't hurt her again.

She wasn't in that corner again, her back against the wall with nowhere to go. She had people who stood behind her now, people who cared for her and had her back.

He couldn't hurt her.

"I'm going to do it," she said. Though her voice was still small and she was still hugging herself tightly, she looked up at Niall, hoping he would see that, yes, she was still nervous... but she wanted this. "Rue is my priority... I won't let Adrien hold me back from helping Rue."

Niall kept his eyes on her, watching her carefully. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "This is what I want," she said. "More than anything."

To that, he nodded. "Okay." And though he had given her the choice to drop all of this and throw away all the progress they had made, she didn't miss the look of relief on his face.

She looked at him, a smile forming on her face, warmth filling her from deep within. "Thank you... for giving me the choice."

He smiled back, reaching out and putting his hand on her head before messing her already messy hair a little, a gesture that surprised her and a gesture she was happy she didn't flinch away from. "You don't need to thank me," he said, before putting his hands back in his pocket and beginning to walk again. "Just know that I'm on your side."

"I know," Thea said, following after him.

She did.

She really believed him.

When they arrived at the hostel, the two said their goodbyes, and feeling both relief and some level of confidence, Thea made her way to the door as Niall waited at the gate for her to go in. However, right as she opened the door and walked in, she hesitated.

Turning, and looking out again, she saw Niall begin to walk away. Without really thinking, she put down her bag and rushed down the steps again. "Niall!"

He stopped walking and turned around to look at her.

When she reached him, she saw that there was a look of concern on his face, and the sight of that made her chuckle before she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He didn't seem too surprised by this. Instead, he hugged her back, both his arms wrapping around her before he rested his chin in the space between her neck and shoulder. She could feel him breathing, the heat of his body radiating into hers, making her feel a warmth that matched what she was feeling inside herself too. She felt comfortable, safe and happy, the heaviness that was in her heart lifting... at least, a little.

"Thank you," she said to him once more before she pulled away.

"I already told you, Thea," he started, his expression gentle. "You don't need to thank me."

"But really," Thea said, honestly. "I do..."

Niall seemed to figure she had more to say, so he waited, watching as she began to wring her fingers together.

"Do you really... not know..." she started. "About Adrien..."

"I don't," he said. "And if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. But if you do want to tell me... just know that I'm here to listen."

She looked at him, still believing his words.

He was being honest with her.

But she wasn't ready to tell him anything now... maybe she never would be... so she was happy he respected that. After a moment, however, she frowned. "I need you to know that... I'm saying yes to doing this tomorrow because that's what I want more than anything," she said. "But... when I see Adrien... I might still..."

"And that's okay," Niall said. "I'll have your back. I'll be there."

She nodded, grateful. "If I... if I try to back down... I want you to stop me... if I do that... it's not me... that's not what I want."

To that, Niall hesitated.

"I would never be able to forgive myself, Niall," she continued, reaching out and grabbing his coat with her hands. "If I put Rue's life at risk because of my personal issues... I will never be able to forgive myself. He's important... not just to you and your plans but to me too. So please... help me with that."

Niall's cool green eyes watched her for a moment and then he closed them and opened them again. "Alright," he said. "You have my word."

She felt relieved, her shoulders lowering in relief before she hugged him once more, this time her arms around his waist, going under his open coat. He had her back. She could do this. "Thank you."







After watching Thea make her way into the hostel, Niall felt unusual. His heart was beating faster than usual and oddly, he didn't really want her to go. But after giving him one last wave, her nervous smile replaced with a more relieved one, she was gone.

He stayed there for a moment, before turning and making his way back to his own apartment, thoughts whirling through his mind.

Though he had told Thea that she didn't have to tell him anything, he couldn't deny that he felt absolutely frustrated over the fact that she actually chose not to tell him. He would respect her privacy, yes, but he wanted to know.

He wanted to know what Adrien had done to her.

Because not knowing meant he assumed the worst, and the thought of what 'the worst' could be infuriated him.

Of course, more than anything, he wanted to help her. He wanted her to thrive... to do well... to succeed... and not for his sake, but for her own. So, once he arrived home, without really thinking about it he found himself getting into his car and driving down to the prison.

Despite not being in his uniform, there was no hindrance at all in getting through the checkpoints and into the building. Quickly, he made his way through the dull halls, down to the basement level in the old, filthy elevator and was standing outside Rue's tiny little room. After he unlocked the door, he pulled it open and then was surprised by the sight of Rue sitting there, cross legged, staring right at him. "What a pleasant surprise," the man said to Niall, a brow rising on his forehead. "What brings you here?"

Rue always made Niall feel... down. It wasn't because of what he said or did or anything of that sort... it was just the man himself.

Niall had seen the man for the first time all those years ago, when they had captured him and forced him down onto his knees.

Literally.

It was now nearly five years ago since Rivier had used his own spies within the Crows to locate the nest of Rue's division, the Elorian Revolutionary Armed Forces, the Original Crows– the division that was once held by Rhys himself– putting Rivier in the position of being at the brink of bringing the State a massive victory. Though the war had technically ended, if the state captured and destroyed ERAF, that would essentially mark the end of the conflict as a whole for good. The destruction of ERAF would mean that the already crippled and dismembered Crows would have officially had their barely functioning head cut off. It would have been a stab to their morale, a final defeat... the end of them.

But this division was smarter.

Or at least, Rue was smarter.

Upon finding out that they were at risk, Rue had successfully orchestrated the escape of the entire group within a matter of a day, and to assure their safety, he sacrificed himself, fooling the State military and leading them in the opposite direction.

Nearly the entirety of the State's Military, the brunt of the State's power brought out for this operation under the hopes of ending this conflict for good, was then redirected away from the mass of fleeing Crows and towards one man.

Even the men of the Aiverian militia were in awe, telling stories of how the whole force of the State marched in on the tiny, abandoned town of Faru, aircrafts hovering over the supposedly empty town square as everyone soon realized it wasn't actually empty after all.

There was one man there, sitting cross legged on a fountain that hadn't worked since nearly a decade ago when the town was shelled and the inhabitants slaughtered during the Civil War.

Rue.

And apparently he was just sitting there smiling... like he had not a single fear in the world. Maybe looking a little like how he looked now as Niall walked into the room.

Niall had only been serving as the Deputy Secretary of State for a little over a year at that point, yet despite this, he knew from the very beginning that this massive operation was going to fail. He knew there was no way in hell such an important Crow division would let themselves fall because of a spy.

So when Niall arrived at Faru, he was welcomed by the sight of the fuming Rivier, screaming and hollering at Rue, who was down on his knees on the floor in front of him, his hands tied behind his back.

Yet, despite this, Rue had looked so... respectable. He looked powerful. Like a caged lion that was patient, but also ready to pounce and rip his captor to shreds the second he had the opportunity to do so.

Despite being on his knees, his arms tied back, he looked like the one who was winning as Rivier had his hissy fit in front of him.

Niall knew almost immediately that Rue wasn't someone you forgot... and he didn't forget him. Rue was in the back of his mind ever since.

Yet here he was, a lion caged... the only difference now however, was that he looked to be a lion who no longer had that will to fight. He looked tired, his hair grown out, his beard grown out, cuts and bruises all over his body and fingers missing too. That was why Niall always felt down at the sight of him.

It upset him to see what the State could do to a man like him... a man who once exuded strength and power.

"I'll be honest, I've never seen you looking so... disheveled," Rue continued.

Niall did look to be a bit of a mess. His hair was a mess, he wasn't in his usual prim and proper uniform and his beard was growing out just a little, seeing as he hadn't touched his razor since around Friday morning. Yet despite the fact that he was right, Niall ignored the comment. "I'll be honest, I didn't expect you to break your vow of silence so quickly."

He shook his head. "I told Thea I wouldn't speak to her. I never said anything about not speaking to you."

Niall hesitated. He figured that was true and sighed. "It's nearly midnight. Is there a reason why you're still awake, Rue?"

"I'm in a box with no windows," he responded. "I have no way of knowing when it's morning and night, so I sleep when I'm tired and I wake when I'm not. I'll be honest, Thea became a bit of a clock for me but she hasn't been here for a few days so I'm back to not knowing when it is day and night."

That certainly made sense, but more than that, it was depressing.

"So... apparently it's nearly midnight. Why are you here?"

Niall let out a breath, not failing to notice that he was certainly more talkative now than he ever was in the past. Clearly Thea had left her impact on the man more than Niall had ever imagined. "I'm here to ask for your help."

"Isn't that the whole reason why you've been sending Thea to pester me for the last few months? To get me to help you?"

"No. Thea comes here to learn more about you as well as to gain your trust," Niall said, honestly. "I'm here to ask for your help."

Rue didn't say anything to that. Instead, he just waited for Niall to continue.

"You know that the meeting with the President as well as a large number of State Officials in Aiveria is tomorrow... well, Thea's... found herself in a bit of a tight spot." He knew he had to choose his words carefully, knowing it wasn't his place to speak on her behalf. "I just..." he let out a breath. "She wants to save your life, Rue. She's going to be standing up in front of some of the most ruthless men in the nation to try and do so. Ruthless men and someone she... fears. Immensely. She's doing this for you, so can't you give us something to help her?"

Rue continued to remain silent, making Niall's frown deepen. So now he shuts up?

"You know how these men are, Rue. You know how they treat women... especially Elorian women. If Thea doesn't have anything substantial–"

"So you want the two of us, men, to give her a hand? To save her? Thea, the Elorian woman?"

Niall hesitated.

"You think we need to protect Thea from these men? To try and make it easier for her because she is a woman?"

"That's not what I meant."

"It sure sounds like it," he said, raising a leg up so he could rest his arm on his knee. "It's either that, or you're letting your romantic feelings for her cloud your judgment. You're being protective."

Nial's left eye twitched, his lips parting a little before he spoke. "What are you talking about?"

A small smile formed on Rue's face. "You should know by now that I'm a poet, Killian," he said. "I've written about love in a thousand different ways. I know how it looks."

"That's absolutely ridiculous," Niall retorted. "She works for me–"

"That is certainly a problem," he said. "But from where I'm sitting, if you were just her superior, you wouldn't be here, close to the middle of the night, practically begging for me to help her because you're worried about how these ruthless men are going to treat her."

Niall was dumbfounded.

"That... and the fact that there is, what looks like, a stain of tanned powder on the collar of your white shirt," he said, his smile growing a little. "That allows me to assume you saw her recently and her face was somewhere near there... an embrace, most likely."

Niall looked down at his collar, knowing quite well that his fair skin was reddening at the very subtle sight of a, as Rue noted, powder stain on his white collar. How he managed to spot it though was a surprise in itself. "This is beyond the point," Niall responded, not knowing what else to say. "I–"

"You said it yourself, Killian," Rue continued, interrupting him. "She's an Elorian woman."

Now Niall raised a brow, though undeniably pleased that Rue was moving on from the accusation of romantic feelings.

"You know, there's a saying among our people that began to spring up after the Aiverian State took over Eloria... it is that there is no woman stronger than an Elorian woman who knows what she is," he said. "Those women, well, they are powerful, intelligent creatures with a strong sense of pride... it's in their blood, and Thea knows it, deep down. I know she does."

Naill blinked, letting out a breath.

"She just needs to get to that second half of the saying. She needs to know what she is. Once she does, she has the potential to be as great as all the other Elorian women who have unlocked that side of them. Women who you would do well learning about–"

"Don't pretend to think you know anything about me, Rue," Niall said, a little roughly. "I'm not as oblivious to this as you might assume."

His expression seemed to have a hint of amusement in it. "Is that the case?"

"The strongest woman I've ever known was an Elorian woman," Niall responded. "I know what they go through. And I know the strength it takes to overcome that."

Rue's brows lowered, relaxing a little bit, his expression suddenly looking a little more gentle. "Hmm," he nodded slowly. "I've always wondered which side of you was Elorian. And your father–"

"Never knew him."

He nodded, and though his expression was a little kinder, Niall still didn't like the way Rue was looking at him... he looked to be reading him... examining his every movement. "I may have misjudged you a little bit."

"Don't worry. Everyone does," was Niall's response. He would have pulled out a cigarette at this point, if he had only remembered to bring them with him.

After that, the two men remained silent for a long moment. Finally, Rue sighed. "I have been hopeful for far too long, Killian, hopeful that something would change, and every time I've been disappointed," he said. "I'm tired. I've been tired for a long time now too. So if I am to allow myself to be hopeful once more than I really need to have a proper reason to."

"So you're playing a game with Thea–"

"I see her strength and her persistence, but I want to see what she's capable of," he said. "And I'll admit... she's impressed me so far. It's only been a few months and I've already seen how much she's grown, I'm sure you have too, but I want to see more of that. You want me to trust her, right? Well you'll be happy to know that she's almost there. She's almost won me over. And if you want her to continue to succeed... now and for the rest of her life, then you'll have to let this all run its course. You'll have to let her do what she can do and in turn, prove to me that she's committed."

His words didn't necessarily change Niall's opinion of the situation. Rue was still playing games... games that could now hurt Thea.

"Think about it for a second, General," Rue pushed. "You said she fears someone who will be there, you said that these are all ruthless men... imagine what it would do for Thea's confidence to stand up in front of all of them and prove her capabilities on her own? What would it do to her to know that she stood up in front of people she feared and succeeded?"

Niall took a deep breath, knowing that he was, at the very least, right about that. "And what if she does an amazing job? What if she blows everyone away... yet the State still decides to kill you?"

"Then Thea still would have still succeeded. She would have succeeded at what she was meant to do. She would have gained my trust... but you just will have failed. Because all my death really means is that you won't have me for whatever it is you need me for."

Niall pressed his lips together.

"Does that bother you?"

"What bothers me is that Thea will be heartbroken if you're executed."

"Hmm," he smiled. "So I was right about your feelings for her."

"So you won't give me anything?" Niall asked, trying not to roll his eyes.

"I won't give you what you want, Killian. Not now," he said. "However... since you asked so nicely, and as an apology for misjudging you earlier... I will give you something that may be useful."