we are aching bones and wasted years; lagertha / any

[magnus]

you and I both know that the house is haunted
and you and I both know that the ghost is me

Her line of question is direct, blunt—and Magnus finds that he is not surprised in the slightest by it.

From his first encounter with Lagertha, he had assumed that was exactly her nature and he was not disappointed by it now. Of course, answering those questions is different. While he was not a dishonest and evasive soul by nature, it did bring up an entire history that he was not sure he was ready to confront. “You could say that,” he responds in his husky voice, contemplating it for a second before continuing. “I grew up here—lived here the better part of my youth. My mother, Twinge, was Queen at the time.”

He does not expect the group to remember his mother’s name—he knows all too well how the power of a name can become faded by the winds of time—but it feels good to say it, feels good to reminisce even if it brings up memories of the jungle flood that had eventually killed his parents. “I actually come from a long line of Amazon women.” He smiles at this briefly. “My sister, Novae, and her daughter, Tantalize, were both Amazonian women too, and I believe my daughter, Brunhild, called the jungle home as well.”

The longer he stands before them, the more at ease he feels in the heat, the warmth sinking into his bones. “As for why I have only recently popped onto the radar…” his voice trails off, and he rolls his shoulders, “I am afraid that is a longer story.” As much as he liked the Queen, with all of her barbs and armor, he knew that this visit was not very conducive to the telling of the story of his death and subsequent re-birth. Few wanted to hear about the dark magic that had siphoned the saltwater from his lungs.

So he just nods at the compliment, feeling it misplaced but appreciating it all the same. Unfortunately, he knew all too well just how unlucky the Gates had been to have him in the past—and while he wanted to rectify that in Joelle’s memory, he knew it was a steep hill to climb. “I understand,” is all he says at first, lacerated lips a grim slash. “I knew coming here that would most likely be the case, but I am a stubborn, stubborn man, Lagertha, and I will ask it of you anyway—at least ask you to consider the possibility.”

His handsome head swings to consider the group of them, and his smile is crooked, the honesty plain on his face. “Consider allying the Jungle with the Gates, Lagertha.” Magnus’ eyes burn as he continues, “We do not have much to offer now in regards to benefits of an alliance, I know that as well as you do, but we will—soon. I promise. We are growing, and we are getting stronger, and we will not take the Chamber’s attack lying down.” Not if he had anything to say about it. “I understand your hesitation. I know that you will need to do what is right for your kingdom, but consider this: If you stand with the Gates, and if you stand up against the Chamber, you will be putting you, and your sisters, on the right side of history.”

MAGNUS

once general. once lord. once king.