"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
All I want is one more chance to be young and wild and free
She’s starting to get more than a little worried. It’s been well over a year since she last saw Sette, and all traces of her best friend seem to have disappeared from the Jungle.
She hadn’t been too concerned at first - she’d merely assumed that Lagertha had sent the girl on a mission to another kingdom and had neglected to tell her (considering Vi’s pathetic behaviour lately, she wouldn’t blame the girl). But weeks had turned into months and months had turned into a whole year. And still Sette isn’t back.
It’s enough to bring her out of her usual solitude and venture back into the main part of the kingdom. She doesn’t even keep to the trees, as is her habit, instead marching right out into the middle of the biggest clearing in the Jungle. Once at its centre, she raises her wavering voice, calling out Lagertha. She’s nervous about calling Lagertha - she is the Khaleesi after all - but the last time they’d met the grey mare had told her that she if she ever needed anything, she should just ask. And, being Sette’s mother, Lagertha would be the most likely to know where the girl had gone, right?
Feeling anxious, she settles her hooves into the dirt, trying to stop fidgeting. It’s useless though, and as her brown eyes scan the surrounding underbrush for Lagertha’s approach, she can’t help but rock back and forth on her heels.
Lagertha is very quietly, ever so slightly, freaking the fuck out.
Anguisette has disappeared. Yes, her daughter is adult and yes, Lagertha could be considered overprotective. However, she knows that Sette wouldn’t leave without either saying goodbye, or letting her mother and Queen know where she was going. She loves the Jungle too much to abandon it. She loves Lagertha and Vi and Vidar, and the tapirs down by the river. Given enough training, Sette could be a future Khaleesi, and that’s exactly what the Iron Lady had secretly wished for.
Even with her worries, she is a little surprised to hear Vi’s summons. She’d left Scorch’s daughter with an open invitation, but when the years passed and the girl continued to keep to herself, Lagertha had begun to write her off. It’s a pleasant surprise, until she sees the look on the roan’s face, and the anxious way she fidgets. That can’t just be due to her, it had to be something else, and the major thing they have in common is Sette. Her heart starts to pound heavily in her chest as she swallows the irrationally fearful thoughts that Vi might have some new information regarding Sette, and that it is bad. No, she tells herself. Do not jump to conclusions. It doesn’t help anyone.
Instead, she forces a small smile and greets the roan with a muted voice. “Hello, Vi. Good to see you.”
All I want is one more chance to be young and wild and free
And without warning, there she is.
With the grey mare staring her down, Vi suddenly remembers how very intimidating Lagertha is (well, to her). Her anxious eyes drop to the ground and her feet shift awkwardly. “Good to see you too Khaleesi.”
But this is no time to be shy. She has to know where Sette is, she has to see her again. It’s been far, far too long since she last saw any sign of her friend.
Vi gathers her courage and raises her head to look Lagertha in the eye. “I … Khaleesi … where is Sette?” She can’t help but let a note of desperation enter her voice. She’s been so lonely without her friend to talk to, her only friend.
Perhaps she’s just being selfish, perhaps Sette isn’t thinking of her at all in return. But, besides her siblings (who, lets face it, haven’t had much of a presence in Vi’s life), Sette is all she has. Vi can’t help but want to cling to her presence in her life.
“Did you send her on a mission to another kingdom? I’d really like to visit her.” Then finally she falls silent, waiting with baited breath for the older mare’s response. Hopefully Lagertha will be willing to share her daughter’s location.
Vi asks the one question Lagertha would gladly kill to have an answer to. In a heartbeat. What does it say about her, that she can lose her beloved daughter? What kind of Queen is she, and what kind of mother? No, nevermind about the mother part - the Iron Lady has never pretended to be an sort of motherly model of perfection. They know this. Running a kingdom is vastly different from raising a family.
Nevertheless, a sense of shame - the first, perhaps, that she’s ever felt - washes over her. How odd, she thinks, that one of her shyest Sisters can evoke such a response. But Sette is her weakness, and in the end, there is some sort of relief deep down inside Lagertha that Sette is gone. It means she won’t be risking herself when War comes. She swallows heavily before answering. “I don’t know, Vi. I wish I did. She’s disappeared, and I’m honestly a little worried.” She pauses, glancing up at the sky as if it could give her answers.
“I assume this means you don’t know where she is, either?” If Lagerthat doesn’t know, and Vi doesn’t know, it is unlikely that anyone else will.
All I want is one more chance to be young and wild and free
She sees the expression on Lagertha’s face and her heart drops. Her head follows suite, eyes falling to the ground as Lagertha answers. Lagertha doesn’t know. Sette is gone, and even Lagertha doesn’t know where she is.
She’s gone. “N-no. I don’t know either.”
The knowledge hits her hard and she freezes for a moment, numb. She’s gone. Where could she have gone?
Then an idea forms, a tentative, hopeful idea. An idea that terrifies her. “I … I’ll look for her.” It will mean leaving the Jungle and heading into the world beyond, something she hasn’t done since the day she was brought here so many years ago. Something that terrifies her.
But Sette … Sette is her only friend. The only person left in her life. And though she would never admit it aloud, she … feels about Sette … a little more than she should. Truly, the person she cares most about in the world.
She looks towards the undergrowth, and the enormity of what she’s about to do hits her. Where the hell is she even going to start? There are no clues, no scent trails … nothing. And as she’s already noted, not even Sette’s mother has any idea where she is. She has nothing to go on. But, she’s still going to try. She turns to glance back at the grey queen, a sad smile crossing her face. “Bye Lagertha. I hope I find her.” Then she turns away and heads out through the trees. She has a long journey ahead of her.
