Archive of Our Own ^beta

"They're going to absolutely hate me."

They were sitting in Scar's bedroom, Scar on the bed and Grian on the floor with his head in his hands. There was a bandage around his left arm under the sleeve of his pajamas, right where he'd been stabbed just a few days prior. Two days ago, to be specific.

Initially, he'd refused to let the castle medic to tend to the wound. Grian did rightfully not trust them, and he knew how to do it himself. There was no reason to involve anyone else, in his opinion.

But then Scar had threatened to make him sleep in his own room. And rather pathetically, he'd given in.

So really, what had once been Scar's bedroom was now something akin to a shared bedroom — and its two occupants were doing what was the complete opposite of sleeping. Despite the fact that the moon was now high in the sky.

Why?

Grian would finally get to go home in the morning.

In other words — he'd get to finally see his siblings again.

Now, this was a great thing. Of course it was. Between being imprisoned, tortured, re-traumatized and drugged — there was nothing Grian wanted more than to reunite with Pearl and Jimmy. It'd been over a week since he last saw them, and he missed them terribly. He even missed the shaggy little shack of theirs, still standing in that old alleyway. No matter how sappy that sounded.

But the resistance still had no idea about all the things that had happened during the past week.

This was a problem.

Scar frowned, leaning closer the best he could from where he was sitting. "No, they won't."

"They definitely will!" Grian exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air from frustration. He leant back against the bed behind him, staring at the ceiling. "I'm the definition of a traitor."

"Maybe," Scar chuckled, absentmindedly carding his fingers through blond curls spread out over the sheets. "But they're your family. If I am to believe anything you've told me about them — they'll understand."

Grian turned to look at him, deadpanning. Scar grimaced. "…Eventually."

Letting out a groan, Grian sunk even further onto the floor, now fully lying down with only his head supported by the bed. Scar snickered, swinging his legs over the mattress to sit beside him.

Sit beside his partner? Grian wasn't sure about the specifics, actually.

"This is so bad, Scar," he sighed.

Scar hummed. "It's only bad if you convince yourself it will be. Maybe they'll be happy about it?"

"They definitely will not be happy," Grian argued, glaring at him.

Unbothered, Scar raised an eyebrow, prompting him to continue. Letting out a sigh, Grian stood up, turning to face him properly.

"Okay. First things first — you know that I was literally supposed to kill you," he started, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. "If I show up with you in tow, they'll realize that all of that planning I made them do was for nothing. I'll have betrayed not just the resistance, but my own cause. Because I literally started the whole thing!"

He began pacing around the room. "I've been missing for over a week, so they obviously know something went wrong. But there's a big chance they'll think I just abandoned them willingly. For a man, no less!"

Scar huffed. "You? No way they'd believe that."

"They might," Grian countered. "It'd make sense, because that's what it'll look like. And then I'll need to explain that I didn't kill you like I said I would because I somehow fell in love with you. And to explain all of that, I'll have to once again try to explain the dreams without looking like a complete lunatic! As if it didn't go horribly the last time I tried!"

Pacing over to the bed again, he finally threw himself onto it. "And Pearl is going to bury me alive."

"She won't," Scar assured, chuckling again as Grian miserably looked up at him through blond locks. "I think she'll be happy you're alright."

"You've never even met her," Grian scoffed, sitting up. "She was literally in tears before I left for the masquerade because she was so scared. And she never cries."

Scar blinked, confused. "But that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"No, because she'll realize her and Jimmy spent all of that time worrying about me, when I've been completely fine, frolicking around with you," Grian sighed, head falling back in his hands again.

Yes — he was aware that he wasn't exactly uplifting the morale between the two of them right now. But he'd argue that they were truly in an impossible situation. There was next to nothing he could say to justify any of this.

Stars.

He felt arms closing around him — and soon, Scar had him wrapped up in a hug, letting him bask in the gentle warmth of the man's body heat.

Said man spoke again, but now much more softly. "You know we haven't just been frolicking around. I've been working on reforming the government, and you've been recovering after experiencing huge amounts of both mental and physical trauma."

Grian grimaced. "Don't phrase it like that. It sounds wrong coming from you."

"Okay," Scar chuckled, before cupping his face and pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. "You've been recovering from something very mysterious."

Grian scrunched up his face, letting out a small laugh — but still said nothing, turning away.

Despite that, Scar continued. "If they don't accept us, it's okay if you want to go. I'd never want to separate you from your family."

"What?" Grian questioned, whipping his head back. Scar blinked, confused as Grian stared. "Are you kidding? I didn't save you from that assassin to just leave right after. If they hate me, I'll just… get over it."

Scar frowned. "But they're your family?"

"No way!" Grian interrupted, raising a hand to shush him. "You need someone to keep an eye on you. How am I supposed to keep you alive if I'm not here? You're a disaster on your own."

"I can't argue with that," Scar laughed, falling back against the pillows as he lied down.

Grian smiled. "Yeah — and besides, we still haven't taken down the watchers."

"Oh, jeez," Scar chuckled, closing his eyes. "Don't remind me. That's going to be a tall task."

Grian snorted, moving to lie down next to him. "I know."

They both laughed, before falling silent as they laid side by side in their bed, staring up at the ceiling above. Streams of moonlight filtered in through the window, disturbed only by the faint candlelight of the candles decorating the nightstand, as well as the crackling flames of the fireplace on the opposite side.

If Grian could freeze time, he probably would right then. They could stay in that moment forever, never having to face what awaited in the morrow. Just Scar and Grian, together in the middle of the night, free from the burdens of daytime.

But like most things — that moment passed all too quickly.

"We need a plan," Grian whispered.

Scar turned back to face him again, something fond in his eyes. "Why?"

"Because," Grian started, pushing himself up on his elbow. "It's always good to be prepared."

"How'd that work out for you last time?"

It took a second for the words to register — but once they did, Grian slumped, glaring at the man beside him. The man who suddenly looked incredibly smug, visibly holding back giggles.

Stupid.

"Shut up," Grian scolded, moving to sit up fully. "Look— we need a plan, and I need to prepare what to say."

Scar had his eyes closed again, though Grian could tell he wasn't asleep. Not yet, anyway. So he continued.

"How about I assemble the resistance for a meeting, and then I'll explain everything that happened. And once that's done, depending on how they react, you can come in?"

Grian watched the rise and fall of Scar's chest as he let out something akin to an affirming hum. Almost asleep, then.

He sat in silence for a bit, thinking — before his eyes fell to his hands.

That were not gloved.

Right.

"I'm an idiot, Scar."

The man peeled an eye open. "What?"

Grian groaned, frustrated as he let himself flop back onto the pillows. "I can't assemble the resistance for a meeting because I don't have the spores anymore."

Rather disrespectfully, Scar snorted, both of his eyes opening as he seemingly returned from his half-coherent state of sleepiness. Grian rolled his eyes, slapping his arm in offense — to which he let out a surprised gasp.

"You're supposed to be helping me, Scar," Grian scolded, which only caused Scar to giggle unabashedly. Grian glared at him again — and he stopped.

He was silent for a bit, hands moving to his chin in thought — before he hummed. "Maybe you shouldn't tell all of them at once?"

Grian blinked, turning to look at him.

Scar just smiled. "I just think that you might have a higher chance of things working out if you just start with your siblings — and then tell the rest of the group."

Grian scowled, mulling the idea over. It seemed painfully obvious, then. That was clearly what he should be doing. Family first — then friends.

In the same way Scar would be an utter disaster without Grian, it turned out Grian might need him too sometimes.

"So I just show up at the shack?"

Scar nodded. "Pretty much, yeah."

Grian sat silent for a second — before he finally reached for the sheets, moving to pull them over the both of them. Once that was done, he laid still for a minute, looking up at the ceiling.

"I don't get how you're so calm about this," he admitted. "I thought you'd be freaking out too."

Scar chuckled. "I think you freak out enough for the both of us. And I'm definitely not calm about it."

"Why?"

The man shifted, ending up face to face with the other. "You know why. If this doesn't work out, your friends might actually kill me."

Grian scowled. "They wouldn't do that."

Catching Scar's disbelieving look, he let out a sigh. "Okay, fine — maybe they would. But they won't if I tell them not to. They're angry, not cold blooded killers."

Scar watched him for a moment longer, before shrugging, his eyelids starting to droop again. Heart swelling a little, Grian reached out, fingers brushing against the scarred skin of his cheek. His love. His one and only.

"But if it comes to that, I'll defend you," he confessed to the man beside him, the serene quiet of the bedroom interrupted only by the sound of their mingling breaths. He moved to blow out the flickering candle on the night stand.

Scar showed a tired smile as he returned to his side. "Good night, Gri."

Pressing a light kiss to his forehead, Grian shifted a bit closer. "Good night."

He knew he could be a bit of a control freak at times. It was one of his less desirable traits — although it had done him well in the past. But maybe, going into something without strategizing every step of the way for once could be a good thing. Maybe even better than actually having a plan. Pearl always told him this was something he should work on anyway.

Stars, he missed her. And Jimmy. And Tilly. He really didn't want to imagine a life without any of them.

His eyes found the ceiling again. It was far too tall to be reasonable, in his opinion.

"…Are you sure we don't need a plan?"

Scar sighed. "Sleep, Grian."

⋆───⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆───⋆

The alleyway was dark once he spotted it as he and Scar navigated through the streets of Bluecrest in the early hours of the day. The streets were pretty much empty, if not for the occasional merchant in the process of setting up their shops. Windows and doors opened around them as they walked, none of its occupant paying the two men passing any mind.

Scar's regular royal attire with all the medals and gold details had been replaced with a set of brown trousers and a cream linen blouse, as well as a dark hooded cloak to cover his face. Grian was dressed similarly, now wearing something much more similar to his regular clothes that he'd left behind when leaving for the masquerade.

If he looked up the road, he'd be able to see a royal carriage disappearing over the hills. It had been difficult to convince the guards to stay behind, but eventually they'd given in. Whilst he understood the risks of going without them — Grian knew that if he showed up with guards in tow, they wouldn't get anywhere with his siblings.

So the alleyway was dark when he spotted it, nestled in-between two shops that seemed to be minutes away from falling apart. Dirt and trash laid scattered across the cobble, and shattered glass bottles could be found in each and every corner. Seeing it only excited him.

Scar however, seemed to be a lot less excited.

"Why is there so much garbage everywhere?" He asked, and although Grian knew it was literally his first time ever leaving the castle walls — he couldn't help but feel a sliver of irritation.

But he also knew it wasn't anything worth crying about. He sighed. "Well. This is the slums. The poor people district, if you will."

He didn't get a response, though he supposed there wasn't much to actually say. So they just stopped right by the alleyway's opening, staring down into the system of slim outdoor corridors where Grian knew the shack waited.

Scar remained silent, looking around curiously yet a bit anxiously. Somberly.

Which was a good thing, honestly.

Grian took the lead, taking the first step. "This is what I mean when I talk about neglect. I know you haven't been out here before, but—"

"No, I get it," Scar rushed to assure, his cane clicking against the cobble as he moved to catch up. "I'd be mad too. This isn't…"

He trailed off. Grian couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Not pretty? Yeah, I know."

"Well, I was looking for a nicer way to say it, but alright," Scar chuckled, though, it was a bit strained. Grian smiled, throwing a reassuring glance his way.

They turned a corner — and with that, the shack finally came into view.

Grian paused, still for a moment as he took the sight in.

Home.

It looked as horrible as it always had — the leaning wooden beams, the rust-bitten sheet metal roofing, and the patched-together door that creaked even at the smallest touch all still there. Through one of the makeshift windows, he could make out the light of a candle flickering somewhere inside.

It was so quiet that Grian might've thought time had stopped. Except he knew that it hadn't, and his siblings were definitely awake by this time. There was no good reason to stall.

However…

For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to take another step. What had once been his home for so many years now seemed alien, and he almost felt bad for merely standing in its vicinity.

His two favourite people, Pearl and Jimmy were inside — and he was still standing on the outside, afraid to walk back in. How pathetic wasn't that?

Scar's hand found his, and Grian swallowed. The warmth of the hand seeped into his skin, into his veins, fending off the ice cold dread that had settled in his blood.

Why was he so afraid? He really shouldn't be. Not at all.

He got the feeling that they really should've planned this out.

Merciful as ever, Scar let his thumb graze over Grian's knuckles. Back and forth, forth and back.

"We can do this another day if you're not ready."

Grian closed his eyes, letting the words wash over him — before disregarding them, steeling himself.

He let go of Scar's hand, his fists clenching. "No, we're doing it now. I've let them wait long enough."

Previously warm knuckles turned cold and white — and he took a step forward. Scar just looked at him, something soft on his face.

Only the stars know when that man will stop being so horribly sappy.

Grian returned it regardless. "I'll come get you in a bit, okay?"

Scar nodded, before waving a hand and gesturing for him to go. To take the last step. Open the door and walk back into his siblings lives.

Grian turned, now face to face with the door.

Right.

It'll be fine.

Just fine.

At first, he knocked. He couldn't remember a single time they'd opened the door when they hadn't been expecting anyone — so that was why he wasn't surprised when nobody answered. So after that, there was nothing left to do other than help himself.

His hand found the thin, wooden door — and with a light push, it glided open.

The door creaked as it moved, the sound echoing through the silence of the alley. Dust swirled in front of his eyes, obstructing his vision for a moment. It formed puffy clouds, almost making him cough before they finally settled and allowed him to see the small room that made up the shack.

Right away, Grian realized that the candlelight he thought he'd seen actually came from the campfire, and then, his eyes caught on the two figures sat opposite each other on the ground. They had bowls in their hands, eating what Grian presumed was breakfast on the dirty old carpet. The same way the three of them would usually do every morning.

His heart ached.

Jimmy was dressed in his usual attire, and Pearl had her red cloak wrapped around herself. Their gazes fell on him as quick as lightning — and they stared, a heavy silence as the three siblings took in each other's presence.

A beat passed. Grian swallowed again.

"Hi."

Pearl regarded him, eyeing him up and down without uttering a word. Jimmy looked skeptical, though there was something heartbreakingly hopeful in his voice.

"…Grian?" He asked — and Grian nodded.

With that, the spell that had fallen over the three of them broke. Pearl's bowl clattered to the floor as her hands moved to cover her mouth, and Jimmy practically flew up to crush him in a hug. Grian stumbled backwards from the force of it, letting out a surprised laugh as Pearl too stood up and threw herself at him.

She was sobbing. He realized this pretty quickly, as a wet spot had began to from on the cuff of his shirt, right where she clung onto him. Jimmy seemed a bit teary-eyed too, his right arm moving to wrap around their sister as well as he made space for her.

Grian resorted to returning the hug the best he could, backed up and squeezed against the door as he was.

For a moment, it was just the three of them, finally reunited. For a moment, all of those previous worries were dead and gone — and Grian allowed himself to relax into it. Relax into the presence of them, and Tilly who was giddily licking his hand in greeting — and oh, did that feel weird.

Living so long with gloves on his hands meant he now had access to many new sensations.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere — Pearl lightly shoved Jimmy to the side and grabbed onto Grian's shoulders, her nails almost breaking skin with the force of her grip. Right beside where the bandage sat snugly around his arm, making him wince a little.

"Where have you been!?" She practically screamed at him, and Grian blinked.

Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot from crying, and she had dark circles under her eyes making it seem like she hadn't slept in weeks. Which, honestly, she probably hadn't.

The worries weren't dead and gone after all.

He felt awful.

"We've been worried sick over you, Grian. They said you got captured!"

Grian's hands found her arms, attempting to make her loosen her grip at least a little. Or at the very least not reopen the wound. "Um— They were right."

She didn't seem to hear him, continuing to yell. "I thought you died. I thought I'd lost my older brother forever! Do you hear me!?"

"I do," Grian answered, nodding quickly. "I do, I promise."

"Good," she said, gasping, her chest heaving so much it made her seem a bit feral. "Because you are not leaving my sight ever again. Screw the resistance."

Pearl hugged him again, and Grian hugged her back, a bit hesitant. She was so much taller than him. So much more mature. Her outburst reminded him that he was still the oldest of the three.

Cheek against her shoulder, his eyes found Jimmy's. His younger brother — who looked absolutely distraught.

Sniveling, Jimmy wiped his eyes. "…They captured you?"

"Yeah," Grian confirmed as Pearl seemed to calm down a little. "They did."

"Is that why you were gone for so long?" Jimmy asked, taking a step closer.

No matter how many times Grian swallowed, the lump in his throat wouldn't go away. "Yes. Partly."

Jimmy raised an eyebrow, tear streaked face glowing in the firelight. "Partly?"

Grian grimaced. "There were some… complications. Unforeseen circumstances, I guess. I don't really know how to—"

Pearl finally let go of him, blue eyes looking at him through unkempt, brown hair. "What happened to you?"

Grian glanced between her and Jimmy, uncertain. He let out a sigh. "I think we should all sit down."

He hoped that was the right thing to say — despite how Jimmy looked confused, and Pearl raised an eyebrow. But neither argued against it and did as they were told, reclaiming their seats on the carpet. Grian sat down between them, letting out a sigh as he did so.

He hoped Scar was okay outside. He could only imagine how insane all of that must've sounded from the outside.

Finally, Grian sighed. "I honestly don't really know where to start… A lot has happened."

A lot wasn't enough to cover even half of it. How was he meant to explain a failed assassination attempt, long periods of imprisonment, starvation and light torture, as well as yet another assassination attempt that he was the victim of instead of the culprit?

He had no idea.

Silence settled, and after a second or two, he finally continued. "I got really close, if that's worth anything. Had him alone and everything. It was going really well—"

"It's okay," Pearl interrupted. "Just tell us what happened."

"Right," Grian answered, chewing on the inside of his cheek. He didn't meet her eyes. "Well, um. I got… caught off guard, I guess you could say. And cornered. And, I tried to use the spores like we agreed on, but once they actually took effect — I kind of froze up."

He exhaled. "So they managed to arrest me."

"Oh," Pearl gasped, starting to sound a bit choked up again. "I'm so sorry, Grian. That was so stupid of me. I should never have suggested that—"

"No, no, no," Grian rushed to assure. "It's not your fault. I thought it was a good idea at the time. And… I mean. That wasn't the reason it failed anyway."

Jimmy scowled, confused. Grian ignored it. "But yeah, um — I got arrested, and they knocked me out. When I woke up, I was chained up in a cell, so… that wasn't super fun. And I think I was in there for about a week before I got out."

"Wait, wait," Jimmy cut in, brows knitting. "That makes no sense. They just let you go?"

"Stars no," Grian said quickly, before grimacing. "Or, um… Not exactly."

Pearl perked up, looking both confused and intrigued. Both of his siblings were now staring at him now, eager to know more.

Of course, he had no idea on how to phrase this without it sounding absolutely terrible.

Remind him to never listen to Scar again.

"I had help," he decided to start with, because that seemed neutral enough. "To get out. He saved my life, actually."

Pearl blinked. "He? Who's he?"

"Saved your life?" Jimmy questioned, frowning. Then, his eyes went wide. "Were they going to… execute you?!"

Grian let out a small chuckle, entirely devoid of humor. "I mean. Yeah. They oh so kindly let me know that I'd be executed if I didn't tell them everything I knew about the resistance." He paused, before rushing to assure. "But that wasn't how I got out. I didn't tell them anything — don't worry."

Pearl smiled sadly. "You know we wouldn't have blamed you if you did."

"But I didn't," Grian insisted. "Because he helped free me."

And this time, Jimmy asked: "Who helped you?"

Right.

Grian paused, still for a moment as he glanced between his two siblings — before moving to stand up. He ignored their puzzled expressions as he crossed the door, hands moving to push the door open again, eyes landing on the brunet man standing by one of the trash bins. The minute the door opened, Scar's head whipped around to face at him. He raised an eyebrow in question — and wordlessly, Grian gestured for Scar to come in.

Turning back again, he found himself face to face with the Pearl and Jimmy. Both expectant for an explanation.

Stars. Moment of truth, then.

"Do you remember when I told you about those dreams I had?"

He could see the exact moment their confusion turned into realization, and then into bafflement — and he would've taken pleasure in it if he wasn't so utterly terrified.

At least he'd finally get to prove that he hadn't been delusional. That was something, right? That was good.

He exhaled. "He's not quite as fictional as you said he was."

With that, Grian heard the clicking of a bejeweled cane behind him — and he turned to offer Scar a hand.

And then he was inside.

Though, he didn't close the door behind him — just in case they'd need to leave quickly.

But Grian hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Pearl eyed Scar up and down, wary, whilst Jimmy just stared in surprise. He gave a small wave, looking around the single room that made up their shack. If he was nervous, it wasn't immediately obvious.

"Okay, so— This is Scar," Grian said finally, once he'd made sure nobody was going to draw their weapons. Because he knew his siblings always carried one, just like himself.

Or at least used to. Before it was confiscated.

Jimmy's eyes widened. "Scar? You didn't make him up?"

Here, Grian couldn't fight the smugness that overtook him — and he let out a laugh. "No! I told you he was real."

"Wait, wait, wait," Pearl cut in, shaking her head as she tried to understand. "That's the guy you saw in your dreams?"

Grian frowned, confused at the tone of her voice. "Yes? Is something wrong with that?"

"No," She said, snorting whilst wiping her eyes. "I just thought he'd be more dreamlike. Doesn't seem like your type."

Grian flushed, startled.

"Shut up," He muttered, glaring at her. That was probably the last thing he'd expected her to say.

Granted, he supposed she didn't know yet.

He avoided seeing Scar's reaction as he continued. "He's the reason I'm not dead right now, so that's dreamlike enough for me."

That seemed to do it, because her mouth fell shut immediately. She let out a small breath, nodding.

"Thank you," Jimmy said, then, eyes locked onto Scar. He sounded so uncharacteristically mature as he said it. "I don't know what I'd done if…"

He cut himself off, but everyone knew what he meant.

Scar just smiled, but there Grian caught a sliver of nervousness. "Don't thank me."

Pearl stood up, then. "No, seriously. Is there anything we can do to make it up to you?"

And…

Well. Although the question may have sounded genuine and her face feigned appreciation Grian didn't miss the way neither of those things reached her eyes.

He couldn't help but smile seeing it, fondness taking over. That was his sister. Suspicious like a guard dog and stupidly smart.

"Oh, no," Scar quickly answered, waving his hand dismissively. "You don't owe me anything."

Of course, Scar wasn't far behind — insanely observant and clever with his words as he was. Always knowing exactly the right thing to say.

Pearl's face softened just a bit, and she gave a curt nod. "Alright."

She turned to back up — but stopped, looking over her shoulder with a smirk. "And, hey — anyone who makes my brother look at them like that is good in my books." She turned fully, tilting her head to the side. "Just sayin'"

"Hey, that's not—! "Grian squawked, before cutting himself off. He crossed his arms, grumbling under his breath. "Okay, fine. It is, but you don't need to say it like that."

Pearl smirked. "Like what?"

"I don't think she said anything particular," Jimmy continued, smug.

Grian glared at them both.

"I will kill the both of you," He warned. "I'm serious."

Pearl cackled, patting him on the shoulder. "Sure you will."

He winced a little, her hand landing right beside where the stab wound was — and whilst she clearly noticed, looking at him a bit strangely; she didn't comment on it. Which was nice of her, he supposed.

It really was special how quickly they were able to fall back into their regular dynamic, right after such a dramatic reunion. He really couldn't afford to lose that.

Silence fell over the group. Grian chewed on the inside of his cheek.

Just one more thing left.

And he wanted nothing more than to lean into Scar for support here, but he knew it wasn't time for that yet. Speak too quickly and you'll overwhelm the listener — his years as a resistance leader had made him well aware of that fact. It was entirely up to him.

Still, he finally brought himself to find Scar's gaze — who just gave him an encouraging smile.

Grian nodded in return.

It was time.

"There is… one more thing. That you need to know."

Jimmy perked up from where he'd been petting Tilly on the floor. Pearl blinked.

Grian looked up. "I didn't kill the king."

"Oh," His sister said, huffing — though she was smiling. "Don't worry about that, Griba."

Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. We'll just think of something else."

Grian blinked. "No, it's not that. I meant that I didn't kill him."

His brother's eyebrows knitted, and he exchanged puzzled glances with Pearl. Who really seemed just as confused.

She frowned. "Yeah. You just said that."

"No," Grian sighed. "Or, okay. I did say that, but that wasn't what I meant. I definitely tried at first — but after that, I made an active choice to not do it."

Silence.

Jimmy had never been afraid of hiding his emotions. He wore them plain and clear on his sleeve, unafraid as he displayed them to the world. Pearl on the other hand, was the complete opposite. Mostly, her expression revealed nothing about the world inside her head. And in contrast to the tearful welcome he'd just seen — that was the look Grian now stood face to face with.

Still, she nodded slowly, arms crossed over. "Okay… Elaborate, please."

Grian nodded, careful as he chose his words. "I found out some things. Stuff we hadn't previously been aware of," he started, noting how the atmosphere hadn't grown hostile yet.

"The king was never our enemy," he said. "The ones we should've been fighting is the members of the royal council. They were the ones running the kingdom."

He made sure not to look up at Scar yet, painfully aware that if he did, his siblings would see the full picture prematurely.

"Right…" Jimmy said, disbelief clear in his tone. "So… Just to make sure — you're saying he's completely innocent?"

Grian's eyes widened. "No! Stars, no. He's not innocent at all. He didn't stop the harm that they were doing even when he could've."

He paused, letting the words sit before he continued. "But it's different now. Because the king wants to help us."

If skepticism were two people — he was sure their names would be Pearl and Jimmy.

She frowned. "With all due respect, Grian — how in the Nether are you expecting us to believe that?"

"He could've just said that so you'd let him live," Jimmy proposed, serious.

"Trust me," Grian said, then. "I know him. He wouldn't."

"And how do you know him?" Pearl questioned, and Grian could tell she was catching on.

Which only left him with one way forward.

He let a small smile cross his face, and he took Scar's hand. He could feel it trembling, so he gave it a light squeeze. Feeling the warmth, he marveled for a moment at how their fingers slotted so perfectly together. It was incredible. Meant to be, in a way.

Once he found Scar's eyes, so green they resembled emeralds — he knew that no matter what happened, he'd be in good hands.

Hearts and hands intertwined, they stepped into the storm.

"Because he saved my life."

And — to their credit, it only took his siblings a little over a second before their jaws dropped, their eyes going almost wide as plates. Grian would've been proud of them under regular circumstances.

As it was, he squeezed Scar's hand again, just to make sure he was still there. He let the words sit in the air,

Finally:

"You're lying."

Grian met Jimmy's gaze, a little somber. "No. I'm sorry."

Pearl stared. "So… You're saying that this Scar is…?"

She trailed off, but Grian nodded anyway. "Yeah."

A pause.

Pearl — once again, she was incredibly hard to read. But she didn't look furious. Jimmy had some mix between surprise, concern, and just a bit of anger. But it didn't take much to make him mad anyway, so Grian hoped this was one of those cases.

Still, the anxiety of the tension couldn't help but get to him. "Look, I get that it's… weird. Especially coming from me. But he didn't just help me out of the dungeons. It's like I said at the start — a lot of things has happened."

Jimmy crossed his arms. "Okay, tell us."

Pearl nodded. "Yeah. I'd really like to know what things could've possibly happened that'd make you disregard literally everything we stand for."

"I haven't disregarded anything, I promise!" Grian rushed to explain — before throwing Scar a questioning glance. He was met with a soft smile and nod. "Scar spent so much time fighting the council to get me pardoned. And then there was an assassin, and we almost died again—"

"An assassin?" Jimmy cut in, and Grian blinked.

"Right. Um. It's a lot to get in to right now," he said, sighing. "I could tell you more in-depth later, but..."

He cut himself off, because in his periphery, he caught sight of the shimmering metal of a blade. He spun around, realizing that Pearl had drawn her knife, now pointing it toward Scar.

But not attacking.

"Do you swear that you've told him the truth?" She questioned, stone faced. The scar crossing her face only helped with that look. "That you want to help us change this kingdom?"

Scar clearly seemed startled, or a bit scared, so Grian tried to subtly communicate that it was just intimidation. That Pearl wasn't going to actually hurt him.

Probably.

"Oh— Uh, yes. I do," Scar managed finally, and Pearl raised an eyebrow.

"On your life?"

Scar seemed to have gathered himself now, because his next response was a lot more confident. "Yes. I swear on my life. All that I have."

Pearl regarded him for a moment, narrowing her eyes.

She shoved the blade a little closer. "Tell me why haven't you done anything until now."

Scar didn't let his eyes leave the weapon, but he answered. "Um. Well, truth be told — I didn't think there was a way to fix it. But I know there is now."

He looked up, smiling, green eyes meeting Grian's. "You can thank your brother for that."

Pearl pursed her lips, glancing between the two men. She nodded curtly. "Okay. Last thing—" She paused. "Do you love him as much as he loves you?"

Grian squawked. "Pearl!"

Predictably, his complaints were ignored. Scar just grinned wider, meeting her gaze head on.

"Yes. More than I can put into words."

Scar sighed. "And I'm very sorry about all the suffering I've caused you. Really."

Pearl looked him up and down for a moment longer, silent. Jimmy stepped up behind her, whispering something in her ear. She nodded, and closed her eyes for a moment — before pushing her knife so close that Grian was genuinely getting worried.

She sighed. "Alright, listen here Your majesty." Scar grimaced at that, but she paid him no mind, continuing. "If you so much as step a single foot out of line — I'll drive this knife right through you. And unlike my brother, I won't hesitate."

She tilted her head to the side, and smiled sweetly. "Got it?

Scar nodded quickly, though he didn't seem scared anymore. More impressed, strangely enough.

"Yes. Yup. Mhm, definitely," he said. "No feetsies out of any lines here."

"Good," Pearl said — and put her knife back in its sheath, hidden beneath her cloak. Grian breathed out a sigh of relief.

She turned to him, then. "You're an idiot, Griba."

Grian let out a breathy laugh. "I know. I'm sorry."

"I'll never let you live this down," She continued, and Jimmy snorted.

"I won't either."

Grian grinned too, fond. "I expected nothing less."

"That's good," Pearl sighed, shaking her head. "Because we are not doing this again. Dropping this giant bomb on us at seven in the morning? Are you crazy!?"

With one sentence, the tense atmosphere dissipated, replaced entirely with laughter and hugs and relief. Relief that they were okay. Relief that nobody would be dying today. And sure, maybe Grian hadn't told the rest of the resistance yet — but at least his family were okay. He could figure all of that out later.

Jimmy even lifted an arm, beckoning Scar to join in the hug — which he did, cane clicking against the wooden floorboards.

And so there he was, his family all in one place. All alright and safe. Nothing left to say, content in the silence for once.

Home. How beautiful.

"Grian?" Jimmy said, suddenly.

"Yeah?"

Jimmy spoke slowly, some blend of terror and hope in his voice. "…Why aren't you wearing your gloves, and how aren't we all dead right now?"

Ah. Grian snorted.

Right. Maybe there were some things left to go over, still.

But at least he knew there was nothing to be afraid of.