From above, the wicked shall receive their just reward
Not for the for time in his life, Kronk was playing a role he was not meant to fulfill. Life as a solider was simple. You followed orders, you watched your brother’s back, and you did what you had to do to get the job done. This visit would not be so simple. On this trip there was no enemy to fight, save for apathy. Kronk snorted to himself. They had have been attacked by the Chamber, but it was apathy that had won that fight. It was carelessness, maybe even hubris. They had assumed they were safe, and that they would always be safe.
Careless, arrogant, lazy.
There were days that ran through his head like a mantra. Kronk didn’t believe in positive thinking. He believed in positive speaking, encouraging statements to rally the men. In his head, he was his own worst drill sergeant. Carless, arrogant, lazy. It did wonders for him, it made him grit his teeth and muscle through when the going seemed impassable.
This visit was a little like that.
It was sensitive, risky, a gamble. While the Chamber held his queen, Kronk couldn’t risk declarations of war. While the Chamber remained unchecked, he couldn’t afford to stay quiet. He was walking the middle ground. He was testing the waters. With that he called for Tiberios, Shatter Me, and whoever those two may trust above all others. Kronk didn’t assume he could trust the monarchs, of course, but he had to trust someone. He had to take the risk.
He didn’t mind sticking his own neck out, but this felt a lot like sticking Fiasko’s neck out, and that left him uneasy.
Yet, it was a poor decision, on the Chamber’s part, to try and cow them with threats, or even with promises. Kronk didn’t often think on it, but deep in his belly he knew the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few. Even when that few was a queen and princess. His gut twisted, and his own treachery tasted bitter on his tongue. The gold and white stallion squared his shoulders, set his jaw and bared through it.
This was his path, there was no going back now.
Kronk
