From above, the wicked shall receive their just reward
Kronk was prepared to do some convincing. He knew what this looked like. If the positions were reversed, if a nobody from a charred and ruined kingdom had come to him asking for allies, Kronk would have probably laughed. He would have admired their pluck, but he would have laughed anyways. He hoped the Falls’ king was a good deal more open minded than Kronk had any cause to imagine.
But still, doggedly determined allies were a rare commodity. How many times had allies fallen though? How many times had allies shrugged and said it wasn’t their problem. How many times had they put the safety of their own people first? Kronk knew they had to do that, he understood why it was easier to sit back and do nothing, to not attract attention.
It was also a coward’s move.
Sure, it was also smart. But, the smart thing and the right thing were rarely one in the same. And besides, Kronk knew something of the destruction that could be done by one determined man. What was Straia but a woman? A woman with a powerful kingdom at her back, but just a woman none the less.
Even powerful women could be brought to heel. Even legends could fall.
The Chamber wasn’t invincible, they were just bold. They were just reckless. They just didn’t give a damn about who they offended. Kronk hadn’t agreed to this change of rules, but now that the rules had been broken, he wasn’t about to be the fool who sat on his hands and kept playing nice when everyone else was playing dirty.
And so, Kronk looked Tiberios in the eye and didn’t immediately assume the king would shoot him down. He assumed he was a man who wanted the same things he did. He wanted safety, he wanted prosperity, he wanted his children who grow up in an unburned home.
And if he wanted power? If it was pride, as much as his sense of honor, that did the talking? Well, Kronk could understand that too. He nodded at the king.
“An honor, Tiberios.” Kronk fell silent for a moment, and looked between the king and the general. Then he spoke to them how he would speak to his own men, how he would implore his own brothers in arms. Respect, passion, and a little bit of hope.
“Our future, I want to talk about the future of our kingdoms. You know what happened at the Gates, and you know why. Well, we’ve decided to try and do something about it. We need to make a move before it happens again, and to someone else this time.” He took a breath, and when he continued, nothing but deadpan honesty rolled off his tongue.
“The Chamber is on a power trip, they need to be put down.” How exactly that was to be accomplished was not yet determined. Kronk was open to suggestions. But, they just needed one, they needed one other kingdom to agree, in order to convince the others to as well.
Kronk
