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

[Straia]

She cannot imagine life without her birds. They are quieter than normal birds, for one, because she tells them to be quiet when she wants. Though mostly, she lets them make a ruckus, because it doesn’t bother her. It might bother some of her kingdom members, but they too have mostly grown used to the birds. Most of them have some bird or another that they carry with them now. Those that have earned it, or have needed it, and Straia does not take her gifts back. At least so long as the horse continues to serve the Chamber.

Because in the end, even the gift ravens serve Straia first. She is their Queen, after all. And Straia serves the Chamber. Therefore, the ravens do as well.

The ravens let her know long before Gallows is on the ground, and Straia isn’t far off when the mare lands. Straia has a particular interest in Gallows, particularly since news of the change in Valley leadership had reached the Chamber. Straia has been expecting this particular visit, figuring Gallows would be just as eager to get the ball rolling on something.

Though of course, Gallows also had to rebuild a kingdom, so she had a few things to do.

Straia slips out of the trees easily, finding Gallows firmly on the ground at this point. The ravens might be amused by Gallow’s landing ability, but they kept their beak firmly shut. They knew when Straia might be interested in poking fun, and when she was not. In this particular instance, Straia had better things to do.

“I hear congratulations are in order Queen Gallows.”

straia

the raven queen of the chamber

image © Squirt

[Gallows]

I'm not going to lie. It feels good to be in charge again. There's a dance of patience and diplomacy that's required of kingdom inhabitants and I'm not good at any of those things. Seriously. You should see my dancing. It's much easier to make plans and then simply take action. Decisions under pressure are my true forte. So basically, I was made for this role. If you had any doubts about my level of conceit I'm sure that's all cleared up now. Not even my darling co-ruling king Fennick can ruin my mood. And luckily for both of us (although it might be an amusing fight) we are on the same page. Straia doesn't keep me waiting. I appreciate that about her, as well as the way she's kept the Chamber up and running. I like less that Kushiel prefers this place to his birth home, but I'm starting to think that one kingdom can't contain both of our personalities. So perhaps, maybe, he made an okay choice. Gods, I'm so glad there are no other mind readers around. An easy grin settles on my face as the painted mare appears with her flock. I ignore the birds. It's best for all concerned that I do so. “I'll accept congratulations, but I'd prefer a party. Wouldn't you like to throw me one?” My eyes glint with something close to danger. It's very easy for people to assume I am simply a lot of ridiculous talk, which is perfect as far as I'm concernced. “I didn't want to assume anything so I came to ask. Our alliance still stands? And if so, I thought you might like to plan something of a more lively nature.” I do a mental scan of the area, making sure we are clear of spies before continuing. “I considered approaching Lagertha, as well, if she's not too terribly annoyed that my co-ruler kidnapped her daughter for a visit.” The Amazons are not my favorite people, but they rate much higher than several other kingdoms and Lagertha has a reputation as a warrior. I'd like to see her in action. Really, I'd just like to see some action at all. G A L L O W S We must all hang together or, assuredly, we shall all hang separately.

[Straia]

i am the violence in the pouring rain

i am a hurricane

Straia has an inordinate amount of patience. Yes, she plots and plans and dreams. But in reality, she waits for the opportune moment. She’d waited entirely too long for her crown. Her father, being her father, couldn’t ever see when he stopped being the best for his kingdom. But she had needed backing to take it from him, and not the backing of the two members in the kingdom at the time. They mattered, yes, but one of them would never love that Straia had overthrown Rodrik, and if she’d done it without Eight’s aid, she may never have gotten it.

Besides, it worked out better this way. She got to sell her father to the Valley, which he deserved for all the shit he’d done in his life. And in the process she was able to repair the relationship between the Chamber and the Valley. The feud between the two had gone on entirely too long, driven by personal hate. And Straia didn’t see the point in that. They’d be better together, certainly. Of like mind, after all, on the definition of fun.

Straia laughs. “My parties include birds. They are an acquired taste.” One that her son had in fact acquired. Both for the fire raven that stayed with him and for the raven queen. And really, Straia didn’t mind. She’d toyed with the idea of sleeping with him now and again. It could be fun, really, and the child would be some very strange combination of the two of them, probably. Sometimes not unlike Gallows, Straia thinks. Could be worse.

“It does,” she says in regards to the alliance. Really, she’s more ready to agree to an alliance with Gallows (and yes, even Fennick) then Demian. Not that Demian had been a bad king, he’d just been far less enthusiastic about it. “The Gates is trying to rally allies. They seek revenge. And I will let you in on something of a secret. I’ve already spoken to Lagertha. She’s rather sympathetic to our side, shall I say. But she’s posing the question to the sisters.”

Straia very purposefully leaves out the rest of the conversation, the dancing raven in her head blocking out what Straia doesn’t want Gallows to know. Not so much because she doesn’t think Gallows would appreciate their other scheme, but simply because that was a plan that relied on almost no one knowing. It was nothing personal. “But either way, there is likely to be a war. Magnus seems like someone unlikely to give up on revenge. So we just have to decide which side of that fight we want to be on. Do we let them come to us, or do we cut them off?”

straia

the raven queen of the chamber

[Gallows]

As long as there is life in Beqanna, there will be war. It's a fact of life. The residents grow restless with peace, and I don't care if a kingdom has a peaceful background or not, nothing lights a fervor in one's breast like a call to fight. Personally I'm not about glory or liberty or anything particularly noble. I have an end game of strength for the Valley (no secret there) but the journey is the part I'm enjoying. Chaos. The scramble of hooves and the ache of muscles pushed to their limits. I was never that good of a diplomat. In fact, (and we'll see how long it takes Fennick to notice), I've done away with the Valley's diplomatic caste. Intelligence is what we really need. It's far more useful. And to be perfectly frank, we suck at diplomacy. I mean, our king just kidnapped the daughter of a potential ally. I'm pretty sure that's a fail. "I can't imagine why they want revenge." I say with dry amusement. It couldn't be that their tree is lying smolders, thanks not in small part to my own child. He probably needed beaten more as a child. "Whether they can gather their strength to achieve their goal is doubtful. But the fight would be one worth waging." As for the Amazons. I can never decide if I want to fight them or ally with them. It's a toss up. They would be formidable foes and I can't deny that I'd like the chance to test our mettle against theirs. I wouldn't be surprised if Straia felt similarly. Of course, I don't know because of her damned mind raven. Gods, I hate my son. This is his fault. "Magnus." I say, and my voice is a sneer. That do-gooding idiot is everywhere and he seems to have a particular hatred for the Valley. I get the feeling that he thinks he's better than the place of his birth. I wouldn't mind the chance to correct his assumption. "Both have their merits. Letting them come to us has the advantage of knowing the terrain, but it puts our own kingdoms at risk. Hitting them before they get to us gives us surprise, which I always love, as well as demoralizes a kingdom that has already been hit where it hurts most. They will be distracted, defensive and not thinking clearly." I muse aloud. "For that reason alone, I lean towards attacking. But what are your thoughts on the matter?" Let no one say I don't know how to be polite. I know how. It's the desire I struggle with. G A L L O W S We must all hang together or, assuredly, we shall all hang separately.

[Straia]

i am the violence in the pouring rain

i am a hurricane

She isn’t worried about the strength of the Gates. It’s the allies that she might pull with them. The Deserts, certainly. Their damn goodie two-shoes magician wouldn’t stay out of that fight. There’s simply no way. Camrynn was gone, and so no one would be reigning in Yael anytime soon. And Vanquish would certainly like a fight, and he’s never much liked the Valley. She can’t see how the Deserts would end up on any side other than the Gates. They didn’t have much man power, but they had a few useful souls. The Amazons, if they went to the Gates, would bring the Dale with them. Assuming the Dale agreed to fight. Straia didn’t care much about the Dale – the Amazons were the real fight.

A fun one, certainly. But one they couldn’t pretend wasn’t a real threat. It would be a greater win, to defeat nearly half of Beqanna with just the Chamber and the Valley, and Straia wouldn’t pretend she didn’t relish that idea. But still, she didn’t want to leave her kingdom in ruins because of it either.

“The Gates will bring allies though.” she says, pointing out that the Gates isn’t the strength to be worried about. Not that Gallows wasn’t smart enough to figure this out. She rolls her shoulders slightly though. They may not have numbers on their side, but they had a myriad of skills, between the Valley and the Chamber.

“I’d attack. The Gates is mostly open, just some trees and brush. We can burn anything in our way there.” The Gates was not the Jungle or the Desert or the Tundra. They were far more vulnerable, and their advantage of knowing the land didn’t help them that much there. They didn’t even have a pine forest like the Chamber. Certainly not impenetrable, but at least it slowed an advancing army down. The Gates, with their open border policy anyway, made it pretty damn easy to waltz right in. “I’d rather lead the fight, set them into an panic. It’ll take their allies some time to arrive, and we can have started already. Besides, we get to set the terms. Granted, I don’t honestly want anything from them except for them to shut up about this revenge nonsense.”

Because it was nonsense. If they had quietly rebuilt themselves, Straia might have been more inclined to let it go. The tree would grow back, after all. This time, she didn’t really care if they destroyed every ounce of the entity.

straia

the raven queen of the chamber