the dead are gone
She limps out into the central clearing, shoulder stinging and heart heavy. She pauses at the edge for a moment, thinking back on the scene she’d just left. She sighs heavily. She knows what she must do, but, even now, she knows she hasn’t even begun to comprehend the amount of work that is ahead of her. There is so, so much to be done.
For now however, she should at least speak to her sisters.
She steps forward into the centre of the clearing (wincing at the dull pain in her shoulder) and calls to the sisters, raising her voice high above the din of the jungle. She waits for them to gather - there are so few of them these days - and then she begins.
“Sisters, I regret to inform you that Lagertha has disappeared.” She pauses, letting them take in the news, then takes a deep breath and carries on. “Yael was tending to the wounded after the raid, and in her exhaustion … something happened to her magic. The backlash killed some, and others simply … vanished. Lagertha among them.” She hopes that it means that Lagertha is still alive out there, somewhere, but there’s no way for them to know.
And now for the hard part. “In light of this, I ask if you will consider me to follow in her footsteps in the position of Khaleesi.” She pauses again, taking a moment to look at the gathered faces, to see if there is any shock or disapproval there. If there are any that would oppose her ascension to the throne, now is the time to find out. “If you will have me, I promise that I will do my utmost to lead you well.” She is, strangely enough, the logical choice. They have dwindled to so few, and she has been the most active among them.
“But before I do, I wish to know what desires, if any, you might have for the Jungle. Are there any kingdoms you would wish us to be allied with? Any that you would hope to avoid?” She has her own opinions of course, but a kingdom so small will not survive without communication and consensus. And she wants the Jungle to do more than just survive. “As well, do we have any new sisters here that might be interested in taking the oath?” She falls silent then, waiting patiently for her answers. Her mind wanders briefly, and she can’t help but wonder what her mother would think of her now. Lyris would scoff, most likely, at the idea of taking on so much responsibility - she’d always been one to skirt her duties. But, Lexa thinks and hopes, that the old lightning mare would’ve be proud of how far her eldest daughter has come.
and the living are hungry.
lexa.
PLEASE reply, even ooc (though I'd prefer IC if you can <3), to let me know if your character is still here, where you want them on the board, and what their hopes are for the Jungle.