Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun
Fennick’s lips twitched just a bit at the flustered look on Esileif’s face. It was like looking in a female mirror. It was odd, not being the flustered one. He’d gotten so used to it that seeing someone else do it looked strange, as if they were saying his lines in a play.
Still, he knows better than to comment on it.
He’s had his own misfortune pointed out enough to know that it was never appreciated. He did nod in response to her name. Esleif. It was unusual, and Fennick was not likely to forget it. She looked at him for a moment, and he realized it was his brand she was looking at. He didn’t mind, it was practically impossible to miss. No one would ever say that the Valley is subtle. No, when they did things they did them big.
Some of the more shrewd negotiations had been able to wrangle a kinder branding method or a less obvious placement. Fennick hadn’t bothered. Like a calf to a branding iron, he wandered up without protest. Unlike a calf, he didn’t regret his decision later. He liked to have something physical to mark his connection to his home. Of course, he did have his wings for that. The massive black things weren’t in the least bit subtle either. Fennick inwardly shrugged. You would never know his was a guy was wasn’t trying to attract a lot of attention.
She asked Gryffen about the mountains and the black stallion groaned inwardly. He’d encountered both Gryffen and Magnus in his various scouting trips. Magnus seemed like a good enough sort. Gryffen was an ally. That was about the last good thing Fennick could say about him. He knew the white stallion was useful to the Chamber, and the Chamber was a useful ally to the Valley. That was all Fennick really needed to know. Still, the dude was creepy.
Magnus then asked the question that had been on Fennick’s mind as well. Was she looking for a herd? If that was the case Fennick wouldn’t be of much use. But still, there was no harm in having options. He followed up on Magnus’ question.
“Have you ever considered a kingdom?” He wasn’t about to shove a sales pitch down her throat. Fennick had just mastered (or improved upon) his normal, functional communication. Pushiness was still a league or two away.