The rain refused to stop.

After Rivier's arrest, the downpour intensified, transforming the estate grounds into a muddy disaster. The rain fell so heavily that the soldiers had to support the search team by setting up tents across the soaked grounds, their efforts made even more complicated as they dug through the drenched earth in search of Miriella's remains.

And for the next two days, that's all it felt like the team was doing. Digging. Digging in the rain.

Eventually, Niall grew concerned, wondering if this was some wild goose chase and Miriella's body was not here at all. It was completely plausible that they were given the wrong information... but if that were the case than that would lead to a whole new slurry of problems.

But on the third day, just as Niall was pacing around his tent—which, despite the downpour, had all four sides rolled up so he could keep an eye on the progress—a worker rushed in. The man was drenched, his glasses speckled with droplets, but the determined look on his face suggested he had become accustomed to the relentless rain over the last three days.

That, or the rain was the least of his concern at this very moment. "Sir," the man began, and without another word, Niall felt his heart sink.

Oddly enough, though Niall desperately wanted to make sure that they found the body, he couldn't shake the feeling of sadness gnawing at him. Maybe it was because he had hoped, deep down, that none of this was true—that the young girl who did nothing but love was still alive somewhere, not lying dead in a ditch at the hands of her own father. "Where?" was all he could manage as he slipped his gloves back on, letting the man from the search team guide him out of the tent.

The moment Niall stepped into the open, the rain drenched him to the bone, but he hardly noticed. "Off on the eastern end of the estate," the man had to speak loudly to be heard over the rain. "It's a rather unkempt area... higher ground with nothing but some grass and a dead tree. Colonel Bryne is already there."

Niall nodded.

Miriella was found.

As Niall and his guide approached the area, they found the soldiers already hard at work, having set up a tent to shield the burial site from the rain. Quickly, Niall was surprised when he saw another member of the search team walking off with a bone and setting it on a tarp. They were efficient, moving with a quiet urgency.

"A member of the search team noticed that it was odd that this area of Rivier's estate was rather unkept," Julian began as Niall reached him at his spot at the edge of the ditch. "He wondered if it was like this because Rivier wanted people to stay away from here. Then he assumed that maybe the tree was a marker of sorts as well and began digging with a few others... and finally found her."

"Smart man," Niall responded and he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Get his name down, he needs to be rewarded."

"Already done," Julian smiled in response, though it wasn't a heartfelt one.

Niall sighed heavily, his gaze fixed on the remains before him. A sharp pain twisted in his chest as he noticed the body hadn't fully decomposed yet. The tattered remnants of a dress clung to the form, but it was the skull that caught his breath—a skull with uneven, roughly cut hair... the brutal handiwork of an enraged drunk.

Julian's voice cut through the grim silence. "Don't think of them as human," he said quietly, causing Niall to turn toward him. "Remember when our commander used to say that?"

Niall's frown deepened as he looked back down at the body. "Don't think of them as human,'" he echoed the words of their long-dead commander from the Civil War. The man had been good in his own way, despite the brutal philosophy. "It'll make it easier when you have to step over their dead bodies to kill more of them."

Julian nodded. "I could never get myself to do that, you know? To not think of them as human. Honestly, seeing the blood and the fear and the death made them look even more human than any of us. The dead often seem... too human."

"I know," Niall smirked, though there was no humor in it, "and maybe that's why we're the miserable ones... the ones who will never forgive ourselves, while the rest of our comrades are living it up in lavish estates, partying and drinking and sinning... and killing their daughters"

Julian let out a breath through his nose. "Maybe... in the end... those men are the ones who are not human. Maybe that's why they can do things like this."

Niall considered that for a moment, before taking a deep breath. "It is going to be a difficult conversation... breaking this to Rue, I mean. Whenever he wakes up, this might be the first thing he hears after being in a coma for so long."

"Rue is a strong man and he knows she is dead," Julian responded. "Yes, it will be hard, but it will bring him peace."

Niall was about to reply when a sudden gasp caught his attention. He looked down into the ditch, where the only woman on the search team was staring at something in her hand, her gloved fingers trembling over her mouth. "What is it?" Niall asked sharply.

The woman glanced up at him, then back to one of her colleagues. "Could it be?" she murmured, seeking confirmation. The man beside her looked equally stunned but eventually nodded. "It's possible... but we'd need more time to be sure."

Niall's patience was wearing thin. "Out with it," he snapped.

The woman hesitated, taking a deep breath before finally holding up an object that, to Niall, could have been anything—a twig, a bone, or even a piece of stone. "Secretary Killian," she began, her voice unsteady, "I... I think this is... the bone of... of... a fetus."

Niall furrowed his brows, initially struggling to grasp what the woman was implying. But when the realization finally dawned, it struck him like a ton of bricks. His lips parted in shock before his expression hardened into a scowl. "Find out for certain," he ordered, his voice tight. "And tell me as soon as you're sure."

Without waiting for a response, Niall spun on his heel and marched away, his steps quick as he made his way through the rain, heading back to his tent. He needed a moment alone to process the weight of what he'd just learned.

"Niall," Julian called out, following him into the tent. "What—"

"She was pregnant, Julian," Niall interrupted, turning to face him. "She was pregnant... and potentially far enough along that the baby had identifiable bones."

Julian didn't respond, his shoulders lowering. For once, even the usually calm and collected Julian was baffled.

Nial let out a sharp breath, running his fingers through his wet hair to get it out of his face as he paced back and forth.

"Do you think... Rivier knew?"

Niall shook his head. "I don't know..." he responded. "I would think not... I can't imagine the girl would tell her father before she even told Rue."

"You think Rue didn't know as well, then?"

Niall paused, trying to think this through. "No..." he eventually began, feeling his heart sink. "No... he couldn't have known. There is no reason for him to have kept that fact from Thea. He confided in her about their relationship and they went through all the letters together... if he had known he would have told her. Plus, it would have helped his cause immensely."

Both men fell into silence, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on them. Julian broke the quiet first. "We should wait for confirmation. There's a chance they might have misinterpreted their findings."

Niall shook his head, sinking into a chair and resting his elbows on the table beneath the tent before he rubbed his face with his hands. "To think this could get any worse than it already was..."

"Sir..."

"I'm going to have to deliver this news... to Rue..."

Julian watched him, a deep frown creasing his brow.

Niall reached into his pocket for his cigarette case, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a practiced flick. He took a long drag, exhaling the smoke with a weary sigh. "The man has lost everything already... and now I have to tell him he's lost something he didn't even know he had?" he asked. "What if this is what breaks the man?"

"Rue is strong–"

"Yes, but even mountains can be worn down by relentless pressure," Niall responded, looking up at Julian. "It is already evident that he is struggling to hold on–"

"Then maybe this is a job for Theavi."

"You want me to put the pressure of breaking such news to Rue on Theavi?"

"I'm just considering the option of you letting her do her job," Julian responded rather bluntly. "You wanted her to lead communications, right? To be our liaison of sorts? Then let her do her job. Besides... she might be better at being gentle with him about such news then you can be. She understands him in a way that none of us do... her relationship with him is different."

Niall considered that, knowing Julian was right. However, despite this, the thought of having to force Thea to do something so painful... Niall didn't like it.

Right at that moment, however, a soldier rushed into their tent, a radio strapped to his back. "Sir," he said with his salute.

"What's wrong?" Niall responded.

"There is a call for you coming from the State. It is your secretary, Mrs. Railer. She indicated that a Ms. Theavi Rhaanan is with her and needs to speak to you urgently."

Julian let out a chuckle, though it lacked any amusement. "Speak of the devil."

Niall smirked as he stood, taking another drag of his cigarette before tossing it on the floor and crushing it with his foot, not particularly interested in showing Rivier's grounds any respect. "Leave the radio here and return to your post for the time being," Niall said. "I'll take the call privately."

The soldier saluted again. "Yes, Sir." He proceeded to shrug off the radio before handing the headset to Niall. Once he left, Nial glanced at Julian, "I will ask Thea to do it," he said. "For now, please return to the search team to see if they have confirmed that it is, in fact, a fetus."

Julian nodded. "Yes, Sir."

Once he too had left, Niall grabbed the headset. "Mrs. Railer."

"Niall," she responded quickly. "I have Thea here with news. I'll give her the phone."

"Right."

Moments later, Niall heard Thea's voice on the other end. "Niall? It's me."

It was odd... for some reason, Niall felt a moment of relief at the sound of her voice. It was not something he had experienced before but he relished that moment for as long as he could.

"I have good news," she continued, her tone carrying a glimmer of hope that seemed to chase away the rain and shadows of the day. "The President signed the contract!"

Niall froze, baffled.

"And he let me walk away with the recording as well! Aaryan has already taken it away to be hidden... it worked!" She sounded excited, but the excitement faded as she continued. "I've arranged the second meeting and will move forward with the plan, just as we discussed."

"Good work, Thea," Niall responded. "This is great news... it will help Rue immensely."

"I know," Thea responded with a sigh. "It still feels... dirty."

"Welcome to Achlis," Niall said with a small smirk.

Thea chuckled sadly in response. "How are things going there? We got the news that Rivier was arrested. Any updates on Miriella?"

Niall paused, letting out a deep sigh. "Yes... we've found her remains."

"Oh..." Thea remained silent for a moment before continuing. "Well... that is good news."

Niall took a seat, leaning back and staring at the top of the tent that shuddered with each heavy drop of rain. "And there's more... they may have found more."

"More?" Thea responded. "Like... more people? What do you mean? Rivier killed someone else?"

"Thea... there..." Niall hesitated. "You might want to take a seat–"

"I'm seated already."

Niall nodded slowly. "It has not been confirmed yet, but there is a possibility that... that Miriella was... pregnant."

There was silence on the other end of the line for what felt like a very long time. "Niall–" her voice cracked.

"I know," was all Niall could say in response.

Niall listened silently to Thea's shaky breaths as she processed what this could mean. "Rue couldn't have known this... he would have mentioned it if he did... I'll need to... tell him?"

"Only if you think you can," Niall responded. "Julian and I think you'd do a better job at sharing the news that we ever could."

She considered that for a moment. "Yeah... I guess so."

"We can wait," Niall suggested, "until he is full back on his feet. When he is healthy enough."

"I don't know," Thea began. "If we wait too long... he might find out some other way... through the trail... or if the police discuss it around him... I can't bear the thought of him having to deal with this alone. Someone needs to be there with him... someone he trusts."

"You," Niall confirmed.

"Yeah..."

'I'm sorry, Thea. I never imagined–"

"Don't apologize, Niall," Thea interjected, firmly. "This is not your fault. Rivier did this. We are just cleaning up the mess he made... and trying to make sure we don't create a bigger mess in the process."

The were silent once more after that, and though it was a rather comforting silence, Niall eventually broke it once more. "The child... would have been mixed," he suddenly said. "A half-Elorian, half-Aiverian child that would have been born out of love."

"Niall..." was all Thea could say in response, probably quite quickly understanding why Niall was bringing that up.

A half-blood... just like him.

Except the child would have been so different.

It surely had the promise of a life filled with the love of a beautiful, intelligent and devoted mother, as well as the love of a noble, courageous and strong father. It would have had a happy, free life... in Illia, surely... running around with all the children that Aaryan and Thea had said they saw while they were there. It would have had everything that Niall never had... and it would have been deserving of it too.

Yet its life was cut short... well before it could even start.

"Niall," Thea called, pulling Niall out of his thoughts. "Go give Julian a hug for me."

Despite the situation, Niall let out a chuckle, surprised by her words. "What?"

"I think... I think you need a hug right now and I'm not there to give you one... so please... go give Julian a hug for me."

"Thea–"

"I'm being serious," she urged. "Just... do it. I'll handle talking to Rue once you've confirmed for sure and we'll talk in more detail once you're back here again... so don't worry about that... just... I know Julian wouldn't mind..."

"I..." Niall laughed softly. "Alright. I will."





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Hi everyone!

I know this was a bit of a serious chapter today :( hope you guys enjoyed despite that!

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Love,

Luckycharms <3