05-24-2020, 08:57 AM
Eurwen
the secret of walking on water
is knowing where the rocks lie
is knowing where the rocks lie
There is a moment in which Eurwen believes she’s broken Lilliana’s last straw - buried her last hope, and for the first time ever she thinks that Lilli might not be able to carry the weight of the world that is on her shoulders. That it is too much, that it will be her end, and that this message of hers might be the very last thing that breaks her. Not her imprisonment, not her torturers here would do it, would break her, but a friend - someone soft-spoken to tell her that everything is over and can’t be fixed.
But it is not the end. Lilli bounces back like a willow branch, bent over double and ready to fling itself in anyone’s face. Reckless, a word that so far has never befitted the red mare, comes to Eurwen’s mind. Yet it seems to suit her - this is Lilliana activated, so to say. And the spotted mare can’t help but smile at her warmly.
She might be a beaver after all - and Lilli just gave her a very large branch to work with.
”Ghaul did visit. I guess he was disappointed that there was no monster present, and neither was Neverwhere. I suggested to him that one might be where the other was, and he took off after that.” Frankly, Wen was glad that he was going after this monster, though, she very much believed he only did it because Nerine was, so to say, his prey. The fact that he hadn’t returned to boast his victory, told her enough for now. This monster wasn't easily found or caught.
She thinks that Lilliana already knows this, however, so it’s not something she wants to in-depth discuss.
It is her own father that they do discuss instead, and she tilts her head at Lilli, then nods. ”I’ll ask. He’s never really been one to recognize authority, so I doubt it’d be out of loyalty to the Queen, but he’s reasonable enough for some sort of deal.” She could offer her services, she supposes - build some stone shelters, ferry horses across the canal or towards other lands. It’d drain her, but it would help. Somehow she doesn’t think offering him to hunt and graze in Nerine would be enough.
It’s the next phrase however that catches Eurwen off-guard, and she stares at the chestnut for a while before finally snapping her jaw shut. ”Nerine’s never had a King before.” she offers in a murmur while her brain takes every turn it can. It seemed impossible, or at least improbable. Her father hadn’t been the sort she’d easily place on a throne - it always seemed to her that the brain cells he had, he used for fooling around and upsetting people instead of forging alliances. Then again, he wasn’t the man he was when he’d raised her, and perhaps that worked in his favour now. It was true that the Isle seemed stronger than Nerine itself, at least right now with the bunch of horses he’d gathered there. And Taiga… maybe it could use the idea of a dragon overseeing it, if only to stop outside predators from eyeing it like it was an easy piece of meat.
So, she doesn’t have to ask why, or even why now - Neverwhere might be hurt or missing, and if that went on much longer, others might start to notice - something Eurwen would not like to see the result of. If the dappled mare returned as strong as she was before, though… ”She’s not going to be happy about this.” she comments at last. Then, her dark eyes look to the chestnut mare once more. She'd thought herself neutral, but if she truly thinks it over - the way Lilliana probably had for months now - she knows she can agree. She is not ready for the alternative - she likes operating from the shadows much better, like she does now, and doesn't feel like taking the crown for herself.”If you and Izora both think it’s better, if it gains Taiga’s trust and encourages its residents to feel more like Northlings…” she nods silently. ”Doing nothing might be worse.”
She moves her pink-toned tail, the metallic gleam catching the low sun, her ears attempting to catch sounds that aren't really there as she worries over their situation. Neverwhere hadn't been in Nerine since sometime last autumn, about the time Lilliana was captured as well - and as she mulls it over, she concludes that a full year would be too long to wait. "Do you want me to talk to Lethia in your stead?"
But it is not the end. Lilli bounces back like a willow branch, bent over double and ready to fling itself in anyone’s face. Reckless, a word that so far has never befitted the red mare, comes to Eurwen’s mind. Yet it seems to suit her - this is Lilliana activated, so to say. And the spotted mare can’t help but smile at her warmly.
She might be a beaver after all - and Lilli just gave her a very large branch to work with.
”Ghaul did visit. I guess he was disappointed that there was no monster present, and neither was Neverwhere. I suggested to him that one might be where the other was, and he took off after that.” Frankly, Wen was glad that he was going after this monster, though, she very much believed he only did it because Nerine was, so to say, his prey. The fact that he hadn’t returned to boast his victory, told her enough for now. This monster wasn't easily found or caught.
She thinks that Lilliana already knows this, however, so it’s not something she wants to in-depth discuss.
It is her own father that they do discuss instead, and she tilts her head at Lilli, then nods. ”I’ll ask. He’s never really been one to recognize authority, so I doubt it’d be out of loyalty to the Queen, but he’s reasonable enough for some sort of deal.” She could offer her services, she supposes - build some stone shelters, ferry horses across the canal or towards other lands. It’d drain her, but it would help. Somehow she doesn’t think offering him to hunt and graze in Nerine would be enough.
It’s the next phrase however that catches Eurwen off-guard, and she stares at the chestnut for a while before finally snapping her jaw shut. ”Nerine’s never had a King before.” she offers in a murmur while her brain takes every turn it can. It seemed impossible, or at least improbable. Her father hadn’t been the sort she’d easily place on a throne - it always seemed to her that the brain cells he had, he used for fooling around and upsetting people instead of forging alliances. Then again, he wasn’t the man he was when he’d raised her, and perhaps that worked in his favour now. It was true that the Isle seemed stronger than Nerine itself, at least right now with the bunch of horses he’d gathered there. And Taiga… maybe it could use the idea of a dragon overseeing it, if only to stop outside predators from eyeing it like it was an easy piece of meat.
So, she doesn’t have to ask why, or even why now - Neverwhere might be hurt or missing, and if that went on much longer, others might start to notice - something Eurwen would not like to see the result of. If the dappled mare returned as strong as she was before, though… ”She’s not going to be happy about this.” she comments at last. Then, her dark eyes look to the chestnut mare once more. She'd thought herself neutral, but if she truly thinks it over - the way Lilliana probably had for months now - she knows she can agree. She is not ready for the alternative - she likes operating from the shadows much better, like she does now, and doesn't feel like taking the crown for herself.”If you and Izora both think it’s better, if it gains Taiga’s trust and encourages its residents to feel more like Northlings…” she nods silently. ”Doing nothing might be worse.”
She moves her pink-toned tail, the metallic gleam catching the low sun, her ears attempting to catch sounds that aren't really there as she worries over their situation. Neverwhere hadn't been in Nerine since sometime last autumn, about the time Lilliana was captured as well - and as she mulls it over, she concludes that a full year would be too long to wait. "Do you want me to talk to Lethia in your stead?"
@[lilliana]