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Aaric entered the crowded Chantaran bar with a purposeful stride, his eyes quickly scanning for Halden. He found him without much effort sitting alone at a table in the back. Two glasses of amber liquid sat untouched in front of him, two more lay empty off to the side. Aaric made his way over, sliding into the seat across from his brother. To most, Halden’s face was unreadable—an impenetrable mask—but Aaric knew him well enough to see the subtle cracks in that façade, the emotions that flickered just beneath the surface. The two drained glasses were a less subtle indication of his mood.
"Shit day?" Aaric asked, his voice low, glancing at the empty glasses to his left before reaching for one at the center of the table.
After a long moment of silence, Halden’s response was a reluctant murmur. "It's not going how I thought it would, I'll give you that." He took a swig from the remaining glass before him.
Halden had traveled from Calldyr on their father's behalf to negotiate terms with the Aretian Assembly after the Battle of Basgiath. That was his official purpose, but one glance at his brother's face when he saw Violet standing in formation that morning made it clear to Aaric that Halden had an ulterior motive for this visit. Violet didn’t hint as to whether she noticed his heated stare, but Riorson certainly did. The annoyance on his face confirmed to Aaric that Xaden was aware of Violet and Halden’s shared history—and he clearly wasn’t amused by Halden’s sudden reappearance in her life.
As a member of her squad, Aaric had observed Halden approach Violet three times that day, each attempt marked by his restless hands twitching at his sides, as if aching to close the distance between them. He made several valiant attempts to engage her in conversation, desperate to recapture the easy rapport they once shared. Violet had remained polite but distant, her responses courteous yet detached - exactly what one would expect of two people whose lives had circled each other as children, but who had never developed a close relationship. After each brief exchange, she excused herself with a practiced smile, quickly seeking out Rhiannon or Ridoc. To Aaric, at least, it was clear she no longer harbored any feelings for his brother. After months of watching her with Riorson, that conclusion came easily. Halden, for better or worse, had yet to witness firsthand how thoroughly she had moved on. It seemed he had braced himself for her anger, but hadn't the slightest clue how to combat her indifference.
Aaric snorted. "I tried to warn you."
But Halden’s attention had drifted, his eyes fixed across the room. Aaric followed his line of sight, unsurprised when his eyes settled on Violet walking through the front door, Riorson close behind. Xaden’s hands casually ghosted her hips as she navigated the crowd with him in tow. They came to a stop when they reached Tavis and Durran standing at a tall table with a handful of cadets marked with rebellion relics. Violet shifted her weight, leaning back into Xaden, his hands sliding up to her shoulders, squeezing affectionately. Her head turned slightly and her gaze flicked to meet Xaden's for a brief moment. She nodded at his unspoken question before turning back to respond to something Garrick had said. Xaden let his hands fall to his sides and walked toward the bar. There was a quiet ease to their interactions. They looked happy. In love.
Aaric turned back to Halden, a grimace tugging at his lips at the expression on his brother's face.
"You can't keep looking at her like that," Aaric said, his voice carrying a note of concern and exasperation.
Halden’s gaze snapped back to him, "Like what?"
"Like you want her to be the mother of your children," Aaric said bluntly.
Halden’s face remained stony, though his eyes darkened with frustration. "I do want her to be the mother of my children, Cam. You’ve known that for years. It’s no secret that I wanted to marry her when we were together. And now that our father has pulled his head out of his ass and finally given me his blessing I’m not going to let that arrogant prick"—Halden's eyes flicked toward Xaden—"get in the way."
Aaric studied him for a moment, searching for the right words to convey just how futile this line of thinking was. He let his eyes wander around the room until he found who he was looking for. Dain stood in the corner with a handful of other third year riders, his posture still and guarded.
"You look like Dain fucking Aetos," Aaric teased with a smirk, gesturing with his glass so Halden could see where his attention had gone. Dain's eyes were fixed on Violet, an unspoken intensity in his stare. Halden and Aaric followed Aetos' gaze and all three of them watched as a dark shadow gently traced the curve of Violet's face, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She leaned ever so slightly into the shadow's touch before it slid away, all the while maintaining a conversation with a cadet Aaric didn't know. Dain’s demeanor shifted, his expression so forlorn it looked like someone had just kicked his puppy.
"It’s painful to watch, isn't it?"
Halden looked away from Dain, rolling his eyes as if the pitiful longing on Dain’s face didn’t mirror his own. Ignoring the insult he said, "She used to want this too. I just need to remind her of what it was like between us before..." his voice hardened, "before I let our father fuck everything up."
Aaric’s expression softened, but the truth in his voice was unwavering. "I'm telling you, Halden, it’s too late. I’m not trying to be an asshole, but I’ve seen them together for months now. If you walk into those negotiations tomorrow thinking you can divide them, you’re going to regret it. You’re not going to manipulate her into marrying you. She's going to see right through whatever plan you've come up with. And Riorson? Riorson would burn down all of Navarre before he let her marry someone else." Xaden had already demonstrated what he would do if someone tried to take Violet away from him. The aftershocks of Major Varrish's stupidity were still reverberating across the continent. Aaric just hoped his brother had been paying attention.
Halden’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t waver. "He doesn’t love her like I do. I just need a little more time to show her that."
At that very moment, as though the universe itself had decided to answer, Xaden reappeared behind Violet, effortlessly releasing the two full glasses in his hands to a pair of shadows. In the span of a heartbeat, both glasses landed softly on the table before her. Xaden slowly wrapped both of his arms around Violet, his head dipping low to press a soft kiss to her temple. Violet’s face lit up with the kind of smile only he could provoke, a silent exchange passing between them. Xaden's eyes were warm, albeit a little red from exhaustion; a smile tugging at his lips, giving the momentary impression that he was approachable. Aaric had witnessed Xaden's steely demeanor with the riders and assembly members back in Aretia. These tender displays of affection towards Violet were a sharp contrast to the man he was with everyone else, as though only Violet could claim this softer part of him.
Aaric let the silence hang between him and Halden for a moment before speaking again, his voice quiet but piercing. "I think you need to consider the very real possibility that you have it backward. That you don’t love her the way he does."
Halden emptied his glass, signalling to the bartender for another. "Not yet."