When Quirin heard that Hector disappeared, and when he saw Adira desperately run off to look for him, his instinct was to just let them be. His siblings had always been passionate, and they all had a tendency to overreact. Growing up, Quirin would always back off and give them time to calm down before trying to address what the problem really was. Sometimes this method worked, but other times the result would be tension between all of them for days on end before they figured out how to ignore the issue. He'd lost track of the number of arguments between them that hadn't truly been resolved.
After everything that happened with Varian, Quirin was trying to do things better. They had sworn to not have any more secrets between them. They weren't perfect, but things had improved a lot. After fifteen years of doing everything wrong when it came to raising his son, Quirin finally felt like he was doing something right. The two of them argued and disagreed about things, but at least they talked about it instead of letting it fester.
It was right for his family, and despite how long they'd been away from each other, the Brotherhood was just as much his family as Varian was. So even though Quirin would rather have his siblings handle things on their own, he didn't feel like he could just stand back and wait for things to just work themselves out.
He gave them fifteen minutes. Enough time to start to calm down and start to talk things through, but not enough time to brush things under the rug. Then he went after them, with Varian and Edmund right behind him.
Quirin had expected to look for his siblings for at least a few hours. They had barely made it to the bridge to the mainland when they saw Adira, but Quirin felt no relief upon seeing her. Even from a distance it was clear from her posture that she wasn't carrying herself with her usual confidence.
Adira's arms were wrapped around herself and her shoulders were hunched. Her head was lowered so much that it would almost be comical if it wasn't so concerning. She shuffled along, dragging her feet so much that she looked like she was sleepwalking.
And Hector was nowhere in sight.
Quirin ran ahead to meet with his sister. "Adira!" She lifted her head, and even from a distance Quirin could see from the way her face was twisted up that she was crying. He didn't know if he'd ever seen her cry before. He faltered in his steps and found himself standing frozen in the middle of the road. Varian came to his side, taking his hand and leaning against him.
Quirin spared his son a small glance. Varian's expression was one of sadness, but acceptance. Quirin remembered that his son knew what was going on, and whatever it was was not just bad enough to break Adira, but it made Varian feel like he needed to be supportive. Quirin was terrified.
Adira continued to shuffle along until she was right in front of Quirin, and she still didn't stop. She leaned against his chest and seemed to just sag against him. Quirin just stood there, really not understanding what was going on.
Adira was still for a long moment before she let out a short sob. Once that escaped, it all came out. She cried into his chest, and the sound of her screams were completely heartbreaking. She sounded horrified and hurt, and Quirin hated that his sister was like this.
If she was Varian, or even Hector or Edmund, Quirin would wrap his arms around them and hold them close. He would provide a grounding, physical comfort. But Adira hated touch, and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. So he just stood there while she cried.
Varian didn't know about Adira's aversion to touch, so he didn't have Quirin's reservations. He reached a hand out and put it on Adira's arm. She stiffened, and Quirin was about to gently reprimand his son, but then, to his shock, Adira leaned into Varian's touch.
"You know." Varian said quietly. Adira choked on a sob and nodded. Varian's face fell. "I'm so sorry. I-I should have told you. I know I should have told you, but he didn't want you to know."
"Know what?" Quirin asked. He didn't appreciate being in the dark. Adira sobbed and clung to him like her life depended on it. "Adira-"
"He's gone." Adira said. "Quirin, he's gone."
"Hector?" Quirin felt a chill go down his spine. "Where is he?
"He's gone." Adira just repeated. "And he's never going to come back." Tears continued to fall from her eyes. "Quirin, he's gone!"
He knew why this might be upsetting, but he didn't understand why this would devastate his sister so much. "We'll just have to find him." Quirin said. Adira shook her head, and Varian looked sad.
"Brother, he's gone." Adira said tensely. "He's been gone for twenty years, and I didn't…I didn't…" She paled and looked incredibly ill She finally pulled away from Quirin and seemed unsteady on her feet. "I didn't know. I never knew, and I could have gone my whole life without knowing." She sank down to her knees, collapsing to the ground. "He was alone. He was all alone."
"Adira, what's wrong?" Quirin asked patiently. He knelt in front of his sister. He took a page from Varian's book and put a hand on Adira's shoulder. "If Hector needs help, we can-"
"It's too late." Adira said numbly. Her eyes were distant and glazed over. "We could have saved him. We could have helped him, but we weren't there, and now he's gone forever." Quirin really didn't like Adira's tone or phrasing. It gave him a sense of finality, like his was far more than just Hector getting frustrated and walking away.
"He still needs help." Varian said insistantly. "He still needs you."
Adira blinked. She looked lost, and Quirin was reminded a bit of how Hector had looked back in Old Corona, like he was trapped in his own mind and couldn't figure out how to get out. "I thought I was helping him. He said he'd be better if he talked to Edmund. All he wanted was to be released from his service so he could…" Her eyes widened. "Move on…He's trying to move on."
Adira's very specific word choice was like the final piece that Quirin needed to put this puzzle together. The supernatural darkness that surrounded Hector. The way that his animals were scared of him, the same way that Ruddiger had been around Varian. Hector's inexplicable knowledge about the banishment of spirits. The way that Adira said that Hector wanted to move on, and that he was gone, even though they had just seen him. It all painted a picture that left Quirin feeling hollow, like something had been pulled out of him.
Quirin remembered the way that he had talked to Varian about Ulla. He would just always tell his son that she was gone. Gone. That had been the truth, but when Quirin had said those words, what he had actually meant was that not only was she gone, but she was never coming back, because she had gone somewhere they couldn't follow. Quirin didn't know for sure if Ulla was actually dead or not, but he thought that she was, and yet he'd been terrified of saying those simple words, even to himself.
Quirin was still afraid of the words, but he was even more afraid of the uncertainty. Not knowing for sure the truth about Ulla had destroyed him for years. He couldn't go through that again. He needed closure, whether he wanted it or not.
"Is Hector a spirit?" Quirin asked quietly. He was terrified of the answer. Adira blinked and gave him a sorrowful look. Quirin felt something inside of him break. He felt tears gather in his own eyes. He leaned closer to Adira and wrapped his arms around her. He held her close. She stiffened at the touch, but leaned into him anyway. As much as she didn't like physical touch, Quirin knew that she needed the reminder that she had a brother who was still there.
Edmund made a wounded sound. "A spirit? But Hector isn't…how could this have happened?" They'd all been apart for twenty five years, but Quirin didn't think that any of them had even considered that there would be a time where one of them wouldn't be there.
"He fell." Adira said. She looked nauseous again. "I don't even know how long he suffered before he finally died."
"We can't do anything about the past." Quirin said. He felt like he was going to fall apart, but he had to be strong for his sister. She looked like her world had collapsed around her, and she needed stability. If Quirin couldn't provide that, what good was he? "We weren't there for Hector before, but we can be there for him now."
"But I don't know how." Adira said. "He thought if he was released from the Brotherhood, then he'd be released from this world. But it didn't work."
"What if it's simpler than that?" Edmund asked. "What if his spirit can't rest because he hasn't been put to rest?"
Quirin didn't know exactly what his brother meant, but Varian's eyes seemed to light up. "A burial. If Uncle Hector was alone when he died, then he wasn't buried."
Adira frowned. "Do you really think that will work?"
Quirin wasn't sure. He didn't know about lingering spirits. He hadn't even been able to recognize that his own son was being haunted by one, or that his brother was no longer of this world. Quirin was oblivious. He thought this was just as likely to work as anything else. Even if this was a bust, Quirin wanted to give Hector the burial he deserved.
It was the least he could do for his brother after all the time they had lost. They couldn't properly reunite, and Quirin didn't know if he'd be able to ever recover from that. But if he didn't take the chance to say goodbye, he'd regret it for the rest of his life. There was just one problem.
"Where is Hector's body?" Quirin asked.
Adira started to shake her head, but then she suddenly froze. There was a thoughtful look in her eyes. She thought for a long moment before she looked towards Hector's bearcats, which were hanging around.
"...I never knew his bearcats to leave Hector's side." Adira said to herself. "But when I reunited with him, they weren't there. They were near…They were near where it happened. Hector said they were protecting something. Something priceless, and useless. Something lost."
Quirin realized what she was getting at. "Hector's body."
"It's back at the cliffs near the Great Tree." Adira pushed herself to her feet, though she stumbled as she went. "We have to get him!" Quirin stood up and grabbed her arm to steady her and pull her back.
"We can talk about it more tomorrow." Quirin said. "But right now what you need is rest." They'd all had a really long day and they needed time to figure things out. "Hector's waited this long, I'm sure he wouldn't mind waiting a little longer."
Adira just gave him a sad look. "I have to find him. He…he was so scared of me leaving him. That was why he didn't tell me what happened. But the first thing I did when he told me was I ran. I-I left him. Again."
"We'll find Hector tomorrow, and you can apologize to him then." Quirin said. "Just give him a little more time to calm down and collect himself." He didn't really think that Hector needed space. He never had. However, Adira needed to stop wallowing in her guilt. It was going to destroy her. If Quirin had to tell a little white lie to get her to calm down, he would.
Adira didn't look convinced, but when Quirin gently started to pull her back to the capital, she didn't resist. He would rather be back in his own home, but none of them had the energy to make that trip tonight. Quirin would just pay for a room at the inn. Depending on if Edmund joined them or not, it could be a tight squeeze to have three members of the Brotherhood and a teenager in one small room, but he didn't think any of them would mind it. Right now they all needed to feel close to each other.
Quirin paid for the room and some hot meals and strong drinks for them. None of them felt like being part of a crowd, so they brought it up to their room. Adira didn't touch her food, but she had two large drinks, and then collapsed on the bed, sound asleep almost immediately.
That was one sibling taken care of, but one still desperately needed his attention.
Quirin sighed and put a hand on Varian's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He looked towards Edmund. "I'm going out. Keep an eye on her."
He didn't need to say where he was going and why. Edmund knew him well. The king gave him a small, understanding look.
"I have her." Edmund said. "Find him."
Quirin nodded and left them room. He wasn't actually worried about finding Hector. Knowing his brother was a spirit, he suspected he'd been lingering around, watching them from a distance. But when they were younger, no matter how upset Hector was, or how mad Quirin was with him, when he called for his younger brother, he came. Quirin just hoped that was something that hadn't changed after all these years.
Quirin went into the alley behind the inn. It was dark, private, and hopefully perfect for a simple conversation. "Hector?" He called out to the shadows. "Please, can you come out? I'm not mad, and I won't run. I'm not going to leave you."
"Adira said the same thing." Hector's voice said. A dark form became visible. It was a frightening sight, but Quirin wasn't afraid, because this was his brother. Hector had always tried to be frightening. It was a defense mechanism for him.
"I'm not Adira." Quirin said. The dark form became more recognizable as his brother, and Quirin was relieved to see those bright eyes of his. "You know she feels bad. About all of this."
"She shouldn't." Hector said. "I chased her away. I did it today, and I did it twenty five years ago." The form grew darker again as the darkness swirled around Hector. "I push people, just to see how far I can go, and then when they finally have enough, I resent them for leaving."
Quirin stepped towards his brother, and it was a relief when he didn't flinch back from him. "Hector, I know it hurt you when we left, and I'm sorry that I didn't come back." He should have visited, or written, but in all this time he hadn't even thought about his brother. Now knowing that Hector was gone, it made the guilt all that much worse.
"I should have been there for you." Quirin said. "I'm sorry that I wasn't." He'd never be able to say that enough, and nothing he could ever do would make up for it. "I'm so sorry." He reached a hand out. Hector had shied away from his touch before, and Quirin had respected that, but he needed to touch him.. Even if Hector was gone, he was still here.
Hector slowly reached his hand out and clasped Quirin's. It was cold, and felt like being in a completely dark room and touching something that felt familiar, but wasn't quite recognizable in the shadows. Quirin felt a small shock at the touch. It didn't hurt, but it was odd, and it was clear why Hector had been so desperate to avoid his touch before. Quirin would have known that something was wrong.
Right now, he was just glad to have his brother here. Quirin pulled his brother close and, not at all caring about the discomfort, he hugged him. Hector sobbed and clung to him.
"I'm so tired." Hector whimpered. Maybe it was because he was frozen in time and stuck being twenty years younger than he should be right now, but he sounded so young right then. Quirin remembered how hard he had tried to protect his siblings when they were young. It all came back to him now.
"We'll figure this out." Quirin said. "We'll make sure you get to rest." Whatever they had to do to make it happen, they'd figure it out. They had made three oaths when they joined the Brotherhood. Protect the Moonstone. Protect the Kingdom. Protect each other. With the Moonstone destroyed and the Dark Kingdom abandoned, the Brotherhood was all any of them had left. They were a family, even if they had lost their way for a bit.
"Please, no more disappearing on us." Quirin said. "We can get through this together, but not if you don't let us."
"...I'll try." Hector didn't sound sure, but Quirin would keep him in line. They all needed each other, and they all knew it. The hard part was just convincing them that it was okay to admit that they needed help. That was something that Quirin struggled with too. They would all have to keep each other honest. There was no other way through.
"Are you really going to find my body?" Hector asked. He sounded hopeful, but in a reluctant way. He was scared of letting himself hope. Quirin was determined to not let him down.
"There is nothing in my life more important right now." Quirin said. He'd been helping Varian resolve things in Corona, but now that Andrew was gone, his son was already doing better. Princess Rapunzel could pick up the pieces of her kingdom decently enough. Taking care of Hector was his priority right now.
Besides, it would probably do Varian a lot of good to get away from this kingdom, and now that he had a reason to leave, and no dark spirit holding him back, it could be just what he needed. This wasn't going to be a cheerful vacation, but Quirin knew that it was what was best for their whole family.