on the wings of valkyries - straia

[Lagertha]

I am iron and I forge myself

Before setting out for the Chamber, Lagertha wanted to spend some time with her children; so she sought out Anguisette and Vidar and gave them all her attention for a day or so, before resuming her Queenly duties. The first order of business is keeping her word and delivering a verdict to Straia and Magnus. Before leaving with Prague (who better to come with her than the silver lioness?) she has a word with Rhy, asking her Erinak to meet her at the Gates in two days time. Lagertha doesn’t anticipate any trouble at the Chamber, but just in case… she brings protection and a place to be after their meeting. She has responsibility and has a feeling that without her, it will all fall apart.

Finally, the gray mare seeks out the lighter colored magician and between the two of them, come to the conclusion that it might be best for Lagertha to appear to be by herself, with Prague doing some invisible reconnaissance nearby - only a thought away if need be. And then the lioness offers to teleport them (it is quite a long walk to the Chamber, and though the Warrior Queen is more than up for the travel, why not take the easy way? It couldn’t be worse than surfing on Rhy’s lightning.

Now that they are on opposite sides, Lagertha takes care to try and avoid whatever Ravens might be hiding in the Jungle. She will definitely have to ask Prague to take care of them for the time being. Straia may know the result of the vote, but she shouldn’t know they’re coming. So the gunmental gray Queen appears at the Chamber’s borders in the middle of an early summer afternoon. Once her spidey senses tell her that there aren’t any horses in the immediate area, her eyes fly to the sky and the tops of the pine trees, just waiting for a big black bird to fly out and into the interior of the Kingdom. Or something like that.

In any case, she is confident and calm and collected, and settles herself in to wait.

Lagertha

warrior queen of the amazons

[Straia]

i am the violence in the pouring rain

i am a hurricane

She is expecting the visit, though she already knows the outcome of their vote. A rather split kingdom, it seems, though in the end, the bulk of the Sisters were still as upstanding as Straia had assumed. What a shame. There was so much fun to be had on her side, but no, the sisters has decided to be goody-two-shoes. Oh well. More fun for her, it seems. Though it does surprise her that her notoriously kind cousin didn’t vote at all.

Straia would have to make it a point to speak to Rhy soon. Maybe they had more in common than she thought. Probably not. But maybe. Always worth finding out.

There are plenty of smart ass remarks on her tongue (though she will hold them all back), when she slips through the trees to face the Warrior Queen. It does not take her long, though that is truthfully only because she’d been weaving her way through the trees today, taking a few rare moments to herself, when the ravens told her of the Queen’s arrival. She had not been waiting around. Her interest in the Amazons ended the second they decided to behave.

The ravens stay hidden, simply because Straia feels like playing dumb today. Neither of them are dumb. Lagertha knows her raven’s are around, and Straia knows that the Amazonian Queen did not come alone. If only because no one comes alone to the Chamber. Which still makes her laugh, because they have never hurt a diplomat that means the Chamber no harm. It just goes to show you the reputation the Chamber had gained, and they didn’t even have to try.  Lovely.

“Lagertha,” she says simply, no trace of her knowledge on her face or in her words. She wants to hear what the Khalessi has to say about it.

straia

the raven queen of the chamber

[Lagertha]

I am iron and I forge myself

More than Lagertha’s feeling that the two Queens could actually grow to like each other, is her desire for War. That is her madness. Grim Reaper led the Cult, became the Dark God’s battle sister, and over a century later, her daughter would (perhaps ironically) lead the righteous against the unjust. It isn’t because she particularly feels for the Gates and their oh so noble cause, it’s because in the greater scheme of things, if she can pull this off and end up on top, her name will be written in the history books. She will do what Scorch could not.

Lagertha doesn’t want a massacre. Those are far too easy to pull off. She wants a true test of skill and courage. If that meant picking the underdogs, then so be it.

As Queens, they don’t have to explain the majority of their actions to others, let alone to fellow monarchs. Lagertha won’t waste her breath, as there is nothing to apologize or feel ashamed about. Her vote nudged the women towards the morally right, but far riskier decision. Her vote manipulated them into choosing her personal preference, though a large part of her would have loved to team up with Straia and release their minions on Beqanna. Wouldn’t they be quite the pair of dictators?

But back to business - the Khaleesi is a woman of her word, and had promised to bring the Raven Queen news of their decision. Formally, of course. Though they both know she already knows - and that Lagertha knows she knows. “Straia,” she says simply, a wry grin creeping into place. Not that she could hide anything from Prague if the mare wanted to poke around in her Khaleesi’s head, but just in case, she chooses her words carefully. Straia would understand. “The Sisters voted to support the Gates. War is inevitable, it seems.” She pauses.

The Chamber gets their chaos and for the first time, Lagertha will play the hero. Who knows what may happen the second or third time. “I will see you on the battlefield.” They both know they’re likely to escape this thing unscathed. It is only a matter of how many subjects they’ll lose and whether or not the aftermath will be overpowering. It always is. The little people die far more often than the power players. They would meet again, and at that meeting, perhaps they can align themselves on the same side.  What this does mean for the moment, is that her Ravens must be evicted and kept from the Jungle. She sends a thought to Prague. Prague, please make our position clear and force all the ravens out of the Jungle. And make sure they can't come back in.

And that is all she has to say about that.

Lagertha

warrior queen of the amazons