05-07-2016, 03:27 PM
I AM IRON AND I FORGE MYSELF
Crito.
The only stallion she’s only taken a liking to; it certainly wasn’t love, and they both knew that. They were content with the way things were, never seeking more than what the other was willing to give, which was mutual respect and admiration. He was not a rock, and she was not an island. They did not come crashing together with fire in their blood or salt in old wounds. It was easy with the Tundra man. They didn’t need to fix each other, and they saw past their titles and family ghosts. Lagertha had no definition for their relationship, and does not seek to find one. Not everything in life needs to be resolved, and when she looks upon the roan coloring of Vidar’s coat, she remembers him. Her only regret is that he never lived to see his son (her son) and be proud of what he has become.
His father, or lack thereof, has never been something to bemoan. Families are not always made of blood and bone, and she knows that first hand. What Lagertha does hope is that her love for Sette has never left him feeling unwanted; there was so much in flux when he was a child that kept her away until dark and awake at first light. Her relationships with all her children are vastly different. She is not infallible; her mistakes with the first was as much a learning process are her training exercises. And how can she give her sons her whole heart, when she cannot keep them close like she can her daughters? It’s not that she is an uncaring mother, she simply raises them to be productive members of a kingdom, and she thinks Vidar understands that and forgives her for it. It is in the way he thinks of duty to the Jungle, in the way he called her Khaleesi first. It is in the way he says nothing of her outward signs of weariness, though his eyes brim with concern.
In some fashion, he is Sette’s male counterpart, and in others he never will be; but they are both her children regardless of whether she’s carried both in her womb. They are her offering to the world. Lagertha listens to Vidar, grinning slowly when he does. She’s always known he wouldn’t be like Dalten, but it is comforting to have some sort of confirmation. “Even if you didn’t want to, I would tell you, because you should know about your family. Mine too. So make yourself comfortable.” She chuckles, and adds before beginning the story, “The Desert is a good choice. I know both Vanquish and Yael, though I know him better than her. They are competent rulers, but their Kingdom is quiet. I think they are happy to have it that way. Yael is kind and motherly and a magician, so you can’t hide anything from her. Vanquish has a temper and is protective of his family, but you will find it easy to like him. He is very much like me.”
They continue to walk towards the river, and Lagertha allows another moment of silence to pass before she looks over at Vidar again. “Your father’s name was Crito. He died soon after you were born. We weren’t in love, but I did very much consider him my friend. He was a Tundra stallion, and if there are still there who remember the Kings that I knew, they would welcome you as his son. Now, I am not so sure. And besides, I wouldn’t want to waste you on that frozen wasteland or a King like Offspring.” She makes face at his name, showing exactly what she thinks of the current monarch. Hurricane, despite the fact that the Tundra never showed up for support, was far more agreeable. Oh well. “And if you come across any of Scorch’s children, they are your cousins. She was the Khaleesi before me, and my co-Bloodrider under Brunhild. Anyway, she had a small army of children, so you’re bound to come across one sooner or later. Vi - do you remember Vi? - is one of hers, actually. But she’s gone off in search of Sette.”
His sister’s name brings about another silence, becoming the elephant in the room until she speaks again. “As for my family, my mother was one of the first Amazonian Queens, a very long time ago. My siblings are long dead and gone, but they were rulers, and so were many of their descendants. And trust me, there are thousands of them. It’s all ancient history now, but you should know these things.” Because her legacy made Lagertha what she is today, and because there is power in knowledge.
The only stallion she’s only taken a liking to; it certainly wasn’t love, and they both knew that. They were content with the way things were, never seeking more than what the other was willing to give, which was mutual respect and admiration. He was not a rock, and she was not an island. They did not come crashing together with fire in their blood or salt in old wounds. It was easy with the Tundra man. They didn’t need to fix each other, and they saw past their titles and family ghosts. Lagertha had no definition for their relationship, and does not seek to find one. Not everything in life needs to be resolved, and when she looks upon the roan coloring of Vidar’s coat, she remembers him. Her only regret is that he never lived to see his son (her son) and be proud of what he has become.
His father, or lack thereof, has never been something to bemoan. Families are not always made of blood and bone, and she knows that first hand. What Lagertha does hope is that her love for Sette has never left him feeling unwanted; there was so much in flux when he was a child that kept her away until dark and awake at first light. Her relationships with all her children are vastly different. She is not infallible; her mistakes with the first was as much a learning process are her training exercises. And how can she give her sons her whole heart, when she cannot keep them close like she can her daughters? It’s not that she is an uncaring mother, she simply raises them to be productive members of a kingdom, and she thinks Vidar understands that and forgives her for it. It is in the way he thinks of duty to the Jungle, in the way he called her Khaleesi first. It is in the way he says nothing of her outward signs of weariness, though his eyes brim with concern.
In some fashion, he is Sette’s male counterpart, and in others he never will be; but they are both her children regardless of whether she’s carried both in her womb. They are her offering to the world. Lagertha listens to Vidar, grinning slowly when he does. She’s always known he wouldn’t be like Dalten, but it is comforting to have some sort of confirmation. “Even if you didn’t want to, I would tell you, because you should know about your family. Mine too. So make yourself comfortable.” She chuckles, and adds before beginning the story, “The Desert is a good choice. I know both Vanquish and Yael, though I know him better than her. They are competent rulers, but their Kingdom is quiet. I think they are happy to have it that way. Yael is kind and motherly and a magician, so you can’t hide anything from her. Vanquish has a temper and is protective of his family, but you will find it easy to like him. He is very much like me.”
They continue to walk towards the river, and Lagertha allows another moment of silence to pass before she looks over at Vidar again. “Your father’s name was Crito. He died soon after you were born. We weren’t in love, but I did very much consider him my friend. He was a Tundra stallion, and if there are still there who remember the Kings that I knew, they would welcome you as his son. Now, I am not so sure. And besides, I wouldn’t want to waste you on that frozen wasteland or a King like Offspring.” She makes face at his name, showing exactly what she thinks of the current monarch. Hurricane, despite the fact that the Tundra never showed up for support, was far more agreeable. Oh well. “And if you come across any of Scorch’s children, they are your cousins. She was the Khaleesi before me, and my co-Bloodrider under Brunhild. Anyway, she had a small army of children, so you’re bound to come across one sooner or later. Vi - do you remember Vi? - is one of hers, actually. But she’s gone off in search of Sette.”
His sister’s name brings about another silence, becoming the elephant in the room until she speaks again. “As for my family, my mother was one of the first Amazonian Queens, a very long time ago. My siblings are long dead and gone, but they were rulers, and so were many of their descendants. And trust me, there are thousands of them. It’s all ancient history now, but you should know these things.” Because her legacy made Lagertha what she is today, and because there is power in knowledge.
Lagertha
Warrior Queen of the Amazons