let's all hang together; straia, any

[Gallows]

This meeting may be redundant, but I find it's best to cover my bases. After all, no one wants to start a game and then discover that the pieces aren't in place. And I am certainly eager to have some fun. It's a shallow reason to be Queen, I suppose, but luckily it isn't my only one. I must have some ambition buried in my average looking bay frame, because you can't gain and hold a crown without it, but ambition for me has never taken me beyond wanting whatever is best for the Valley. It is my home. The towering trees, the rocky areas shadowed by the mountain range, the bits of forest that hold a thousand memories. See, now I'm getting sentimental. Maybe that can be Fennick's job. He can slap me when I'm being stupid. Oh, I'd love to see him try. I take to the sky with one of my more graceful take offs. I grin. It's the little things in life, really. I can't imagine that there will be a day when flying doesn't manage to make me feel better. And today I am euphoric. My wings beat the air as I climb higher, the glint of red in my wings catching the mid morning sun. A hundred things have suddenly become pressing needs, but I have time to snatch this small moment of exhiliration. I stop before I reach the borders of the Chambers. No one likes a trespasser, no matter who they are and I am certain Straia's ravens will see me. Useful things, they are, but you wouldn't catch me living amongst a swarm of birds. I do not like them. Loud, noisy creatures who tend to get cranky if you clip them in mid air. And it's not like I tried to dislodge birds' nests on purpose. They are just so conveniently placed on the branches I happen to knock against. Perhaps I'm not the best one to teach Namaah to fly. I contemplate letting our conversation happen in the air, but then at some point Straia might see me land and nothing screams incompetent like my landings. So with a reluctant sigh I circle and attempt to hit the ground less like a rock and more like a feather. I wait, deceptively patient, my golden eyes shining with possibilities. Life has suddenly become very interesting. G A L L O W S We must all hang together or, assuredly, we shall all hang separately. The Irreverent Valley Queen