Thread: An Empire in 100 Nights (Rosewood x LeatrixSage)

Either the gods loved her more than she had imagined, or they were conspiring to drive her to madness. He had agreed. Not just assented to her or thrown her a bone to pacify her and she was at a loss. He was her enemy. How did he seem more reasonable and willing to compromise than her own subjects? Solveig wondered again if he was toying with her, but only time would allow her to learn the answer. She would simply need to be prepared for the game to change. There will be tension, but that cant be avoided, she agreed after he told her that he would be bringing his guard along. Being the victor in this, I dont expect you to walk into the leopards den without protection. That was putting it mildly. Some secs in this valley lived by their own law, not hers, and they would split his head like a log given half the chance. It was something she would have to be careful to mediate, but his willingness to ease the burden he had placed on the Barons would go a long way to easing hostility. If he could earn their respect something that aught to be easy given the offer hed made her then there would be so much less to worry about. He thanked her for being so reasonable and offered her a smile that was decidedly unnerving. It was warm and inviting, the kind of smile that could make a woman forget to keep her guard up, and Solveigs mind strayed to thoughts of sweat sickened bodies entangled on the ground before the hearth that crackled and spit with fire just a few feet away. To cover her stray thoughts, the woman laughed, and then reached into her sleeve to produce a small vile that she handed him. If you werent agreeable, I was just going to do what my assassin failed to, she admitted with a devilish grin. Even if I didnt make it out of here alive, you were never going to rule my people if you could not empathize with their plight, so dont thank me for being reasonable just yet. I am still the heathen Queen of legions of barbarian Northmen. For now, she allowed the last with a smirk, a certain lightness of spirit finding its way back to her. It was a flash of another woman, a part of her she kept tightly tucked away in most cases, and she was unsure why her playful nature had made itself known in such an inappropriate moment. To make the entire situation even more surreal, he made a half-hearted pass at her that made her laugh again. The whole situation was wrong, and it colored the exchange with a strangely menacing note despite the levity they seemed to share. The battle she had come here for was not the one she had found, and the battle that still existed was one that she wasnt even sure was real or imagined. If she was honest, it that moment, she wouldnt have minded staying longer. It would even look better, in the long run, if she appeared to barter with him longer. She frowned up at him, however, when she asked about the men outside. He asked if she wanted help with them, and his choice of words dug under her skin in a way that made her take a step back from him. There was a line somewhere, it had been crossed, and his offer to help her made it so abundantly clear that she was forced to put back on that mask that was the woman that ruled the Gods Valley with an iron will. No, thank you, she asserted firmly, but worked to maintain the civil tone that had existed only a moment before. If you help to pay them for the damage done to their people and their land, they will quiet. They in turn will pay their peasants for loss of life, and with your promises of food from other lands, we wont have to worry about starving this winter with the last crops burned away in your wake. Despite herself, her voice had sharpened, and Solveig stepped away from him again. He was too close, her blood was too warm, and by all the gods, she was going to suffocate from the heat or else drown in her own sweat. I think were done for the day, she remarked as she lifted her furs from the seat he had offered her before. You are still invited to dine in the Hall tonight. It is expected that you take my place in the Hall. They will all growl and grumble, but it is a custom we keep. Kings and presents alike. Solveig hesitated at the flap of the tent. She could feel the mans eyes on her, and they were still trying to burn holes into her soul. Sup with us tonight, bring a show of force with you. They do appreciate loud, bawdy, and aggressive natures. They will find great amusement in your notion of how to bargain with a Queen. Last edited Feb 28, 2019