There's a radiant Darkness upon us - Texas

[Shatter Me]

somebody make me feel alive

Shatter listens intently as Texas speaks. Whatever experience he has as far as leadership goes is much more than she does. She feels the weight of the kingdom slowly lift from her shoulders as a plan starts to form. Texas is right, the time for just anyone using the Falls is long gone. She was the current “healer”, having spent many hours in the waters learning all that she could. If she could convince the others to avoid giving out favors freely, then perhaps they could make a new name for themselves. She smiles broadly at the stallion before her, lights dancing behind her eyes. She listens to his suggestions as to alliances and finds herself nodding in agreement. Those were both kingdoms she had considered herself. Currently she had no idea as to the state of the Tundra but that was something she was planning to rectify.

So caught up in planning what her next steps would be, Shatter nearly missed the statement about Tyrna’s father. She was shocked by the sudden rush of feelings that accompanied thoughts of Tiberios, and she felt almost guilty at the love and ache that seemed to lodge itself back in her chest. She doesn’t show much on the outside, getting better at controlling her expressions, but she does pause a heartbeat before replying.

“Tyrna’s father is connected to the Dale. He isn’t in the picture much but perhaps we can use that to help with our alliance.” Shatter wasn’t one for using people but she would do whatever it took for her kingdom. “I am not sure what Tyrna is going to do but I had hoped to send her to the Dale to help strengthen ties there, or perhaps to another kingdom if it proves to be more convenient and she is agreeable.” Tyrna was a wanderer at heart. Shatter knew that wherever her daughters hooves took her, Tyrna would make a good diplomat or liaison between kingdoms.

Shatter smiles at Texas and gives him a quick nod of gratitude. “Thank you for your help and ideas. I would like to promote you to advisor, along with whatever caste you want to go into if you so choose. I would have been a little lost without you to be honest.” She flashes her signature grin, “So which kingdoms do you want to visit?”

Shatter Me

[Texas]

ask you to please excuse my table manners, i was making room for the table dancers Though she thanks him, Texas accepts it with a simple bob of his head. There’s no need for him to take credit, not yet. He does return her smile though, returns it with one as just as bright of his own. Shatter Me has already mentioned a trip to the Dale, so Texas assumes that leaves the Tundra to him. It’s cold there though, and he doesn’t quite want to return yet. Maybe he’ll wait a few months and see how he feels then. “If she likes the Dale, that might be good for her – and us.” Us, the Falls, but he doesn’t feel the need to clarify. “We should see all the other kingdoms as well, no?” He asks, unsure what she wants to know about the other kingdoms. “I wouldn’t mind crossing the Chamber and the Valley off the list if we’ve no intention to ally with them. It’s best to see what they’re up to, I think.” He’s not been to either evil kingdom in a very long time – he mostly wants to be sure that he remembers the way there. “And what’s the deal with the Gates?” That monarch had been rather friendly with Shatter Me, and Texas wonders if their friendship will affect their kingdom relations. He’s been lingering in the Meadow lately, and there’s not been any news of activity in the Gates. It’s quieter even than the Falls, it would seem. i'm really stepping up my game these bitches gotta start paying me for this

(sorry this is meh D: )

[Shatter Me]

somebody make me feel alive

Shatter bobs her head and listens along as Texas speaks. She values his advice and company dearly at this point and his input has been invaluable. She smiles as she thinks of her fearless daughter terrorizing the Dale and nods her agreement to his statement. She is thoughtful of her answer about the evil kingdoms. She didn't particularly want an alliance with either of them but like Texas said, it didn't hurt to see what they were up to. Plus to completely discount them would be foolish as they might prove strong allies. When texas mentions the gates, Shatter has the decency to look sheepishly about her less than professional demeanor.

"I have known Camelia since she was a babe at her mother's side. We are close and I would like to maintain a close relationship with them. But I was planning on offering all of the kingdoms the same deal. In the event of an alliance we would trade our healing waters in exchange for one member of the kingdom living here for the duration of the alliance. As a sign of goodwill. It would bolster our numbers and ensure that we have some protection. What do you think?"

The silver queen stands by and waits patiently to see what her advisor thinks of this plan.

Shatter Me

[Texas]

It has been long enough that Texas hardly remembers the actual politics and policies of his times as king. He imagines that he’d just done what he wanted and that the world had adjusted itself around him; it makes sense that it continues to do so.

He’s not unfamiliar with the trading of kingdom members. In his time, though, the kings had sent their prettiest daughters and used the forthcoming children to cement the alliances. Texas has no qualms against continuing such a tradition, but he knows that mares have gained some semblance of equality, and they’ve never been quite as good-willed about such practices as men are. It’s a shame, really.

“They’ll probably send their most useless member,” He replies in a drawl, nonchalantly speaking his general distrust. “Perhaps they can send a weaned child and we can teach them healing.” Even without the water and magic, there’s usefulness in knowing such things. Perhaps the children will even learn to control the waters themselves, in which case they’ll by default be more a member of the Falls than of their original kingdom.

“Do you want treaties?” He asks next, doing his best to piece together their overall diplomatic standing. “And how will those be different from an alliance?” AS he’s asking, he realizes earlier that she’d mentioned castes quite a while ago, and he’d never answered her. “I’ll do both castes, I think. Though it’s been ages since I’ve done either.” Ages since he joined anything at all, really. But he’s managing fairly well.

[Shatter Me]

somebody make me feel alive

It takes the queen longer than it should to come up with an answer to Texas' question about treaties. She had to think hard about what the implications would be and how to balance the consequences. When she comes to her tentative conclusion she seeks him out. It isn't hard to find the rangy bay, as he is the only stallion around. She lets out a soft nicker in greeting as she makes her approach.

"Hello Texas, how have you been?" She pauses to let him answer and make herself comfortable. "I really appreciate the work that you have put in around here and if I could reward you anymore I would." She gives a small chuckle and a bright grin. "Anyhow the reason I came looking for you was to discuss treaties. I think that we should continue to allow treaties however the healing waters will only be available to kingdoms we have treaties with in a life or death situation. As for alliances, I stand by my previous statement of requiring a member between one and three years old to live here for as long as the alliance is in place. Those we are allies with can have unlimited access to the healing waters. What What you think?"

Shatter Me

[Texas]

Texas raises his head from his grazing and shakes the graying hair from his face. His time here has begun to leech away his immortality, and while the water does a good job of easing the aches of age, there is no denying that the bay stallion is most of the way to two hundred. He has been young long enough, he has reasoned.

He answers Shatter Me with a bright smile and a: “Well enough.”, and then settles to listen to what else she has to say. He brushes away her thanks with a shake of his head that might easily be interpreted as bashful.

She talks of treaties and alliances, answering some of the questions that he had posed earlier, but he still has more. Such is the life of a man constantly in doubt, but she has put up with him for this long. She takes credit for the idea of having a young foreigner come to stay, but since she’d come up with the original idea and Texas with the addendum of youth he doesn’t both to correct. It doesn’t matter much in the long run.

“What’s the difference between a treaty and alliance?” He asks again, “And do we want an alliance with anyone other than the Dale?” He’s not been particularly active on the diplomacy front, mostly because he’s lazy, but also because he does not know what to offer the kingdoms he might visit. “And who do you want treaties with?” He appears more than willing to implement whatever diplomatic situation Shatter Me prefers, but does not know where to start.

[Shatter Me]

somebody make me feel alive

Shatter takes a deep breath before answering. She feels like everything is getting so confused in her head. The harder she tries to make things right, the further she seems to fall. “Well for starters, with an alliance, the allied kingdom can use the waters as often as they like. The goal would be that the child they send over would be the healer and ambassador for that kingdom. The treaties are more of a sign of neutrality and if a member of a treatied kingdom is about to die then we can choose to heal them or not. If a kingdom has neither a treaty or alliance with us then they don’t have any access to the healing water at all. I hope that makes sense. I feel terrible, but I need to look at what might be best for the Falls at this point.” She pauses again, taking another deep inhale and looks at Texas with nothing but trust in her eyes. “Texas, you have been a tremendous help since you waltzed in here” she smiles prettily at him but the kingdom is starting to weigh on her shoulders. “What do you think? Am I doing the right thing? And who do you think would be good allies?”

Shatter had been walking a thin line it seemed these days. She no longer felt like the carefree girl that had walked into the Falls all bright eyed and bushy tailed, a chestnut king as her guide. She had endured heartache and crippling depression. Loneliness and abandonment, but had always managed to regain her feet and keep on smiling. Now it felt like she was headed down a darker path. Nobody seemed to need the Falls anymore and she would be damned if the Amazons would use her kingdom as another stepping stone for whatever their plans were. She looked to Texas now because if anyone could help her now it would be the suave man who had wandered in like a godsend.

Shatter Me