Thread: The Fall of An Era [ Father x Fruit ]

No, the elf hissed instantly. I will not wait a month for the possibility that your city might bend the knee. Their provisions didn't allow for such an endeavor. The whole point of negotiating this surrender was to cut the time and resources it would take to trample this city. Saving lives wasn't Catelyn's goal, it was a mere side effect of her plans. To wait a month is to stall her ambitions for longer than she'd care. Furthermore, she would be giving the humans an opportunity to fortify their defenses. Her army was riding on high morale, she could only speculate how such a long wait could sap their fighting spirit. You have two weeks before my battering rams come knocking on your walls. I have faith in your ability to convince your people to capitulate. You're dismissed, Ser. We will not yield! Lianna repeated the words for the tenth time that day. She had to whisper them to herself three times to persuade herself that it was the truth, then she took it upon herself to beat them into every person who came knocking on her door that day. Aelius isn't the sort of man to bend over and swear fealty the moment someone threatens our people. Not the Aelius I married , she kept telling herself, yet she struggled to make her fantasies as vivid as the sobering realty. Aelius had left earlier that morning with the elven emissary when the elves solicited surrender. He rode without protection, and informed no one of his plans nor his anticipated return. We would never know it if they had him killed. Perhaps I should send a spy.. she bit her lips in nervousness. She hated when her husband left her in the dark like this. The fate of Valerii rested on their shoulders, and now she was the only one representing the Corvus bloodline in Valerii. Her eldest son, Robert, was twelve springs of age, not old enough to counsel a clansleader let alone lead a nation. Her two other daughters, Lysa and Yara, and her youngest son, Davos, were all peacefully playing in their garden. She watched them play in the dirt and sighed. And there was Edward Corvus . With Aelius away, people are now rallying around the bastard. Somehow that didn't surprise the blonde woman. Despite his soiled honor, Edward always had a tongue that could sway impulsive youths and wise men alike. She watched from her window as her brother-in-low addressed a crowd of armed men. Our forefathers had instilled within us the will to fight. They taught us that no victory comes without necessary sacrifice. They planted within us the desire to resist, survive, and thrive in the face of adversary!. That much we agree on she thought to herself, her teeth gritting nervously like a woman about to give birth. They also taught us honor. Something that distinguishes us from the savages and lowlifes around us. But what good is honor if it cost us our lives? Edward's eyes met Lianna's, as if directing her question to her. What good is honor if it led to corpses on the walls of Valerii? If it led to our bloodline's extermination? If it meant our children were taken as slaves, and our wives as whores? My brother was an honorable man, and they likely have him detained in their camp right now. Should we wait like hens about to be slaughtered? Or should we raise our spears, notch our bows, and unsheathe our swords for Valerii?! Aelius will not approve of this , she bit her lips. She wanted to leave the comfort of her walls to address the growing crowd in front of her doorsteps. She wanted to assure them her husband was safe and on his way to return. It was her duty to keep the people content. Aelius always worked for that, and if he returned to a dissettled city his work would become harder. Yet what could she possibly say to soothe their worries if she, herself, was ridden with doubts and discontent? She had no way of proving to them that her husband was safe. No way of assuring them that they will repel the elven invasion. And instead of even trying to fulfill her duty, she watched the criminal her husband had denied any position of leadership hijack her people and rally them to his own cause. She felt as feeble as a declawed cat. AELIUS IS BACK!! The watcher announced from a top his tower. News spread like forest fire as the gates opened for the leader of Valerii. The gods are kind