i'm on the wrong side of heaven, and the righteous side of hell
The old warrior is no diplomat, nor does he pretend to me. He doesn’t pretend to know the finer points of the kingdoms inner workings, the small things that make the machine run smoothly. His mother had tried to teach him, but typical of most youth, he’d disregarded much of what she had to say. She had been a wonderful diplomat, blessed with stunning good looks and a sharp tongue to match. Where she had excelled in the world of cleverness and cunning, he had shown his aptitude for battle. Talking was not his strong suit. If it couldn’t be said with a well-placed kick or bite, then chances were he wasn’t going to talk about it overly much.
But now here he stood, embroiled in a conversation that was possibly beyond his depth. His greatest goal was the Chambers prosperity though, so he listened intently. Of course he understood the need to show off a bit, to throw their muscle around in tight quarters. By all accounts they had done not only that, but came out the other side swinging. While he agreed that there was nothing wrong with a little posturing, a proverbial banging of the chest…but they needed to be careful. A little was a perfect show of their might, but too much and they risked the wrath of multiple kingdoms.
The old warrior cocked a hind leg, relaxing as the gathering spoke around him. For the moment he was content to listen, an eyebrow tilted upwards ever so slightly. His son joined the gathering, and Warship gave him a brief nod of his head. Thankfully, the boy seemed to have garnered the best from both of his parents, being both a successful diplomat and soldier. Finally the boy halted his words, as Warship mulled over all that had been said. So many good and fair points- he had little to add. But, a recent conversation in the meadow popped into his head. Not so much a conversation, but a reaction. “What a fine line to walk. Too many straws will soon break the camels back. We must be careful to add our straws carefully, and slowly.” he said, almost absent-mindedly. “But if there were to be a war, we should try our damndest to bring the fight to us. While I’m not keen on having our kingdom burnt to the ground, our soldiers are comfortable fighting here, amongst the pines and the cliff facings. The other kingdoms, particularly the Deserts or the Amazons, would present challenges for them.” The stifling heat of either place would sap them dry in a minute, though perhaps…“Though perhaps there is a way to train for that. We mock, while Erebor boils us. We mock in the thickest, most tangled part of the forest. We mock along the stream banks, towards the Volcanic Village.” he said, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. He wasn’t a diplomat, but he sure as hell was a General.
warship
