When Ivar calls out, he does not expect anyone to answer.

The endless hills of Loess are heavily populated by fauna, but little of it is the equine kind. The most frequent tracks are Ivar’s – daily patrols around the central parts of the kingdom, less frequent rounds of the very edges of the border. @[Castile] will come, he thinks, maybe @[Rey], @[Zhenga] if she is still visiting, @[Faer]. A few others inhabit the rocky slopes, infrequently seen but still a part of the kingdom that Ivar had sworn to protect. He’d been the general of a non-existent army, and now he is the king of an empty kingdom.

The sea has never called to him so loudly.

And yet…he lingered.

He is here now, standing on stony outcropping and calling everyone in hearing distance, beckoning them to come, to gather, to hear a ruler speak. Heda was never cut out to rule. She was soft, sweet, and gentle. Kind to a fault, and unwilling to stoop to the cruelty and violence that had been foisted upon her as a monarch. Relieving her had been quick decision on his part, and it is only later that the realization of what he had committed to truly sinks in.

That is why he has called this meeting, after all.

It is the first summoning of the entirety of Loess since Heda had placed her claim nearly three years earlier.


kelpie mimicry | dragon scales | tactile hypnosis

Imperial is the first to arrive, reminding Ivar of the issue in Sylva that still requires their attention. He is reluctant to return to the autumn kingdom so quickly, but such are the burdens that he has so recently accepted. Next to come is a flea-bitten grey stallion that Ivar recognizes from a distance, and he offers the other male a polite bob of his head in greeting. He introduces himself as Edonis and offers to serve the kingdom. Ivar responds with a warmer smile now, encouraged by this new shift in the involvement of Loess’ inhabitants.

“I’d be glad to have you.” He replies, lacking the royal we that might be expected. Rey comes too, and Ivar meets her doll-like gaze for a moment too long. She’s much less of a child than he remembers, but he cannot linger overlong, as Castile arrives next and Ivar must look away. The other piebald is quiet, so Ivar only offers him a nod of greeting.

Heda slips up from the back, and Ivar, surprised to see her, cannot take his eyes from her until she takes a place beside him. It is not so different as time before, when they had faced troubles together. She is a bit behind him now, rather than the other way around.

If anything, his desire for her is all the stronger now with the reversal in power. The kelpie relishes control, but he has always been careful with Heda. She is as important as she is fragile; nowhere else could he find a woman with the ability to fill him with emotions he cannot produce on his own. She is loyal and faithful and kind, and Ivar will not tire of playing his role of devoted lover. The scaled stallion’s dalliances do nothing to weaken his interest in the buckskin mare; he could have one hundred mares and still return to Heda’s side to sleep.

He does look down to her beside him once she has settled, acknowledging her place behind him without open affection. He does not need to show that, he reasons, not when the smooth fall of her navy mane is the only thing hiding his mark of claim on her withers. She is his, his to own, his to protect and keep safe, just like the kingdom now.

“Thank you all for coming,” he says to the assembled crowd. “I’d like to get the diplomatic minutia of a change in leadership out of the way quickly. Are there any volunteers to spread the word to the rest of the kingdoms? Preferences on which kingdom you go to?” The ability to delegate is the most vital skill of a leader; that has been drilled into his head by his mother since birth. The more you delegate, the less responsibility remains on you.

The tactic had worked well for Djinni, who never wanted to do anything at all. Perhaps it will work for Ivar as well, who would rather spend his time on other pursuits.

“I’d also like to appoint a General and an Ambassador fairly soon, so they can take over the roles of protecting this place and keeping us connected to the other lands. Does anyone wish to be considered?”


kelpie mimicry | dragon scales | tactile hypnosis