“I realize you may see this as a betrayal,” Navia said carefully, wanting to validate Yousef’s feelings, but determined to show him how misplaced they were while trying to be gentle with her brother so a fight did not arise, “But please, Yousef, please understand none of the pain I have suffered since leaving Vanam was ever born from some vindictive side of Théadan. He does not have one. His family does, and his desire to do good by them has caused him to do some awful things in the past, especially toward our country. But other than taking me from my home, and even then without any violence towards me, Théadan has acted to keep me safe. He’s dedicated to me, Yousef, not his family or his country. Does my safety and the fact he has brought me back here not account for anything?”<br/><br/>“He took you in the first place, Navia!” Yousef shook his head at her again, feeling like it was always what he was doing toward her, the situations just kept changing, “And I’m assuming if you ended up in the clutches of the crown prince, he even gave you to him or to the king, like our spies said would happen. So tell me. How does someone so dedicated give up the person they are dedicated to so easily?”<br/><br/>“I let him do it,” Navia answered plainly and was unable to not smirk at the slack jaw expression that bloomed across her brother’s features. She knew how strange it sounded, that she would let someone betray her in such a way, so she hurried to continue so he would understand, “He gave me a chance to leave, Yousef. I was on a horse and ready to go, but Théadan would have suffered horribly at the hands of his people. They have some barbaric customs, ones he does not agree with but felt tied to, and I couldn’t leave him. I love him too much to know he’s in suffering of any kind. Why do you think I’m here instead of in bed? We share this connection—“<br/><br/>“Stronger than ours?” Yousef interjected with a shrewd look, “Or with Sai? At what point does your love trump you family?”<br/><br/>“Do you love your wife?”<br/><br/>“That’s different!”<br/><br/>“How?”<br/><br/>“She is Khluri!”<br/><br/>Navia snapped up from the sofa with an exasperated growl and began to pace, her<i>khussas</i>silent against the plush carpeting, “Théadan might have been born and raised in Mes’Mo’Tan, but he is not like them, Yousef! He has the morals and values of us, not them!” It was clear convincing her brother was proving to be more difficult than she had thought and Navia could not quite grasp why. Yousef was normally not prejudiced, he was not normally overtly difficult for difficulty’s sake. Trying again, Navia looked back to her brother, who was trying to calculate her every movement, “If you cannot accept him, you must tolerate him. If not for the type of man he is, for what he has done for me, Yousef. This man is everything to me and I cannot accept life without him. I<i>will not </i>accept life without him.”<br/><br/>He could see it in her eyes, in her stance. Navia was every bit as dedicated to the man in the dungeons as she claimed he was. Yet Yousef knew Kazim’s mind was made up, that Théadan would die no matter what Navia said of him. There was no point in Navia having hope, in waiting around. She was going to have to deal with a life without this man she claimed to love, whether she could accept it or not. That was what worried him most though, that his sister was going to be unable to accept the loss and move on. He knew she had not loved Devam, Kazim might have tried to pretend they were, but Yousef had always known Navia had tolerated the union and had been somewhat happy. She had never once uttered her love for the general and certainly did not speak of him the way she did this newcomer.<br/><br/>Yet he still shook his head a third time, looking away from Navia. It pained him to pain her, but he also needed her to begin preparing for when Kazim took her lover’s life, “Kazim will never allow him to stay here.”<br/><br/>“But where will he go?”<br/><br/>“…back to his own country,” Yousef answered with a moment’s hesitation.<br/><br/>“To atone for<i>my </i>sins? The second he steps foot on Mes’Mo’Tanian soil, he will be made responsible for Argyle’s death. You would allow someone else to take the blame for my mistakes?”<br/><br/>“If it keeps you safe!”<br/><br/>“I am<i>tired </i>of everyone making these terrible decisions to keep me safe!” Navia wanted to rip at her hair in frustration and began pacing again to try to safe her hair from suffering, “It is not your job or Théadan’s or anyone else’s job, it is mine! I make my own decisions! I choose who I want to be with and I choose where I want to be!” She turned back and stared directly at Yousef so he could see how incredibly serious she was, “Wherever he goes, I<i>will </i>go with him.”<br/><br/>“That’s what I fear most,” Yousef answered quietly, shaking his head as he stood to close the distance between him and his sister, “I will always do everything in my power to keep you safe, whether it is your decision or not, Navia. I promised our father and it is my duty as your brother.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead in parting, and turned to leave her, “Go back to bed. There are guards outside the dungeon doors now.”<br/><br/>Navia gritted her teeth together in frustration, watching her brother leave. “Yousef, wait—“ She said suddenly. She had seen it when he kissed her forehead and had wanted it. The second her brother turned around to see what she wanted, a tired expression on his face, Navia strode forward and yanked the bowl of fruit from his hands. “Good night,” was all she said as she spun on her heel and stalked off to her chambers with her prize in tow.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>The next morning came at a snail’s pace. Navia had sat in bed for much of the remainder of the night, munching on Yousef’s fruit while flipping through the pages of Théadan’s journal. She had done poorly with learning to read Mes’Mo’Tanian, Théadan had been a better student when learning Khluri, and she was suffering for it. It was still a comfort to look through the pages however, to see his handwriting and know he had filled the book with his thoughts. She had eventually dozed off holding the book and it was late in the morning when Navia rose again to dress. She had just finished bathing when a servant entered to state the Queen had requested her presence at a late breakfast, and so Navia had accepted and dressed for it. She had always liked Kazim’s wife and when Yousef had married, Haide had seamlessly fit in with them and the three had gotten along well while their husbands ran the country.<br/><br/>Like Kazim, Ruvi enjoyed splendor and beauty and liked meals to be nearly formal events. She also appreciated fashion and they would often discuss it, so Navia chose a dress she thought would make for good conversation, but also lead her into a topic she wanted to discuss with the Queen about dressing in Mandira. The dress was actually three parts, a dark red skirt that went from navel to toes, with gold detailing especially at the bottom hem, a dark red bodice that stopped a few inches below the breast, exposing a wide band of midriff, and an elaborate, beading and embroidered piece that almost acted like a jacket, but was short-sleeved and reached almost down to the bottom of the skirt. It was sheer, soft and see-through, clasping just below the chest and showing skin without being overt. Gold<i>khussas</i>completed the look, one she was proud to show off to the Queen.<br/><br/>She was just about to walk into Ruvi’s favored dining hall when Sai came running down the hall, stopping her with a breathless call of her name. “What’s wrong?” Navia asked immediately while worriedly pushing a lock of her loose hair over her shoulder. She was not used to seeing her youngest brother acting so urgently.<br/><br/>“I was down in the dungeons, working on the leaks and talking to Théadan,” he explained once he stopped to stand before her, “And Yousef came in to take him. They’re meeting Kazim in the throne room. I peeked in there to make sure you were there too, and then came to find you when you weren't present.”<br/><br/>Suddenly the breakfast made much more sense and Navia’s expression darkened, “Did Yousef say anything to you?”<br/><br/>“He had no idea I was there,” Sai answered proudly.