Joscelin speaks up again, and Lexa considers for a long moment before speaking up again.
“What you say makes sense.” She is loathe to tie themselves to the Chamber in any way, but a treaty … a treaty would make a lot of sense. As Joscelin says, their potentially allies (the Tundra) are already allied with the Chamber. A treaty would prevent them from ever forcing the Tundra to choose between them. And while she wouldn’t trust the Chamber to keep the treaty, she could at least use the lull in hostilities between the two kingdoms to built their strength.
“I will approach their king to discuss a treaty. But, if they do accept, we should not let that lull us into a false sense of security. The Chamber has broken promises before, and we should be fully prepared for them to break it in the future. But a treaty will at least give us time to build our strength, and even strengthen our potential relationship with the Tundra.” And then if the Chamber does break the treaty at some point in the future, they will seem the more reliable of the Tundra’s two allies.
God she hates politics already.
No one else voices an opinion on the Chamber, but Riva adds a last comment on the Falls. Lexa nods, agreeing, but says nothing. There’s nothing else for her to add.
Nothing else is left but the swearing in.
Her smile widens as yet another mare (another paint that she does not recognize) joins them, and steps up to be the first to take the oath. The mare (who introduces herself as Malka) is quickly followed by Riva and Celeana. When all of them have stepped up to say the words, she grins at the lot of them. “Welcome sisters, new and old.”
She lets the smile fall away, and her voice takes on a serious tone.
“Now, we have a lot of work ahead of us. Get out there and recruit, mock, and steal! It’s important for us to grow … and for us to remind the rest of Beqanna that we are still a force to be reckoned with. For the moment, the Tundra, the Chamber, the Falls and the Dale are off limits, except for friendly activities. I will make sure to update you if you there are any changes there. The Gates and the Valley are fair game. She pauses, taking a breath.
“Now, I have some diplomatic trips to take. Is there anyone that would like to accompany me?” lexa