between the shadows and the soul - gallows, fennick, warship

[Warship]

come back with your shield, or on it

War waits for no one.

They can plan, and they can scheme, and they can fancy themselves prepared, but at the end of the day the war itself will control them. It will control the ebb and flow of their motions, and even the most well-lain plans could be shot to dust. It was in their best interest to be prepared for not only what could go right, but what would also inevitably go wrong.

He hears the ravens caw, and he gives it a grim look before setting into motion behind its erratic flight. Undoubtedly, Straia wanted to talk battle strategies, or perhaps ask him how the army was faring these days. Either way he knew the talk would be of their kingdom and what was lurking on the horizon. But when he finds her she too is moving, and his grim look flickers into a frown, though he says nothing. He follows her across the border and beyond, and soon he knows their destination. The Valley and their proverbial “sister kingdom”. he hadn’t visited the Valley since the days of his and Smolders ill-fated tryst. Finally it looms in the distance, though the landscape has changed since his last visit. A wall of fire reaching high into the sky. He doesn’t have long to…admire it, though, before the new Valley queen finds them. “Its…interesting, to say the least.” he says, somewhere between exasperation and admiration. He had never feared for his kingdom enough to think they needed a magical wall; if someone made it over the border, through the pines and rocky outcrops, then there would be hell to pay in the clearings.

Walking through the flames is odd, but he does so without so much as a twitch. It licks at his skin and he knew that without the presence of Gallows that he would be burnt to a crisp. Finally he steps into fresh air, glancing back over his shoulder at the flames. “The Gates are growing. Magnus, their new general, has held the position before. He has also held the title of king. He won’t go down without a fight.” He doesn’t tell how he knows this, or that Magnus just happens to be his brother. His families poor choice in home had no place in their war planning. “Those who choose to stand with the Gates can fall with them too.” he said, his voice rough. But unfortunately Gallows was right; everyone loved a lost cause.

-warship