i'm on the wrong side of heaven, and the righteous side of hell
He remembers his relationship with his own father. It had never been one of love and affections. But it had been an efficient relationship, one that Warship had thrived under. He had learned the history of the lands. The paths among the trees and against the rocks, he learned to travel them quickly and quietly. He memorized the kingdom borders, until he could patrol them in even the darkest of nights. He had learned battle maneuvers and war strategy. There was never any coddling, from either of his parents. Both had been utterly devoted to their kingdom and had raised a child in their own image.
Now was his chance to raise a child in his own image. A child born largely for the same reasons he himself had been born; for the greater good. Like himself, Erebor had not been a child born from love. He had been a child born for a purpose, for a crown and battle scars. Whether he was aware of it or not, the weight of the world had been placed on the colts shoulders from the moment he slipped from his mothers womb. The expectations that he would be great were immense. Warship certainly expected it of him, and would have no problem pushing the child to his breaking point just to see what he was made of. The Chamber held no place for bleeding hearts and weak souls. It was a land that would harden the spine and the heart and break them both in the next breath. Warship intended that the child knew this early on, like he himself had learned.
A warriors brain is never truly turned off, and even though he is dozing amongst the trees the colts approach does not go unnoticed. “Erebor. Child.” he said with the hint of a chuckle, opening an eye to watch the boy, even has his own hind leg cocked as he relaxed. He knew the colt had questions, could literally feel them in the air like static. But true to his lineage, the colt maintained him composure, and Warship could not help but smile at the tiny, stony face that looked back at him. It was like looking into a time machine and seeing himself so many years ago. Before the silvery scars, before the infinity symbol seared onto his chest. Before the mental lapse and ruthlessness, when he was still an innocent. Before he had seen the devil and spit in his face. A blank slate. “You know, you’re important to this kingdom. Not because you’re a prince. Because of who you are, because of the blood that flows through your veins.” he said thoughtfully, tilting his head as he regarded his progeny. “The same heart that beats in your chest? It’s the same heart that beats in the very ground of this kingdom. Your grandfathers name is synonymous with this kingdom. There has perhaps never been a greater general than Atrox.” It was true. Warship couldn’t hold a candle to the things his father had done, though it wasn’t for lack of trying. But before him stood a new link to the past and the present, a diamond in the rough ready to be polished into the perfect stone.
warship
