Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes

As I live and breathe, is that Rowan Falkor? And to think, all this time I thought they were but a myth. Hushed whispers in the street tell me he is 31 years old; but alas that’s all I know. Try to find out more at your own risk, I hear they are abrasive, with an occasional spat of disciplined, but I personally doubt the latter. Quick, avert your eyes! They’re coming this way!

[rowanfalkor]

queen-josefin‌:

His answer gave her a bit of insight into their predicament and she realized they truly hadn’t had a choice to leave. It was definitely worth it to send a few scouts to survey the state of the land they had come from and report back. If there were truly no resources left then the confirmation that they were desperate would give her far more of a bargaining chip than she currently had. A twinge of guilt welled up and settled in her stomach like a sharp piece of glass. All of those women and children… how many hadn’t survived when the resources were running thin?

She offered a shrug at his question. It didn’t matter, not truly. If she had then he wouldn’t believe her nor would he care. If she hadn’t he would be confirmed in his suspicion that she was a spoiled resident here. Which wasn’t exactly untrue, she had an idyllic childhood and most of her life was absolutely golden and privileged. “It isn’t just my problem… and I won’t pretend I know what the royalty is thinking.” At least the other royalty… “But coming here at all and even asking for a meeting… you made our politics your problem too… Or more apt… you became our politics.” If she was willing to hold her judgments about who he was and how to proceed, perhaps he could do the same as well. Or at least… the leaders of his people. “I really haven’t the slightest idea of what the leaders are planning but if you can pass along some information that might shed some light on why you’re here, I can help plead your case to them at court and allow a meeting between your leaders and mine.”

It was simply confirmation that the four kingdoms over complicated politics. Why make everything so difficult when people could just have a conversation and get things sorted? Ideally, he didn’t want a conversation with them, but that apparently had to be the first step. He wasn’t going to let his hatred take over. Yet still, seeing the people here, it was so easy to see what the life they were meant to have lived have been, and comparing that struggle with the things here, it was easy to be bitter.

“Right... so instead of having a conversation with the people causing a problem. The most logical thing to do is have a conversation about the people causing problems, and try and guess what they’re doing... even though they’ve already said they want to talk. You politics is shit” crass perhaps, but he was tired of dancing around the subject. They wanted to make this so much harder then the situation was. People kept asking him what they wanted, and he just wasn’t going to answer that. He raised an eyebrow, “you actually think I am going to tell some random woman I have just met on the street that information, when you haven’t even told me who you are? I am well aware you want to look down on all of us, but don’t take us for idiots. We made our position clear, the only ones causing issues now are you”. 

[rowanfalkor]

astrid-grey‌:

“oh.” she said quietly. “I had no idea. I don’t think many of us did.” she confessed. why would their people be banished? what kinds of horrible things could they have done for the other members of royalty to make a motion to banish them? “I have quite a lot here - if you’re hungry.”

“No, because why would anyone tell the truth in this place” that had become evident, no one even believed they were real in the first place. “I don’t, you’ve got enough people waiting” he replied, looking towards the nearby children. No matter what he did, he would not make children suffer.

[rowanfalkor]

songbird-sylvia‌:

“And yet, if they had been executed, you wouldn’t be here now.” She pointed out. She wasn’t cruel enough to say that might’ve been better for them, that they wouldn’t have to deal with this now, but she wondered what her ancestors had thought would happen with their exiles. They probably thought exile was a death sentence. “Who’s treated you like a criminal since you arrived?” She asked, tilting her head at him. The royals had ordered no attacks. “If people are wary of you, it’s only because it’s natural to be wary of strangers, of the unknown. As for the royals, it’s not uncommon for them to make anyone wait for an audience.” She explained. 

“No, though I doubt that was ever the original intention” everyone had always known back there they weren’t meant to have ever survived. Yet here they were. And wasn’t it only fair for them to finally come home? That’s what’s his parents had always said, his grandparents to. “Hasn’t everyone?” that was how it seemed. “Wary is very different. We’re surrounded by strangers and you don’t see us looking at everyone like they’re going to kill us. And if they’re going to make us wait, we don’t have to reveal to anyone who asks us what we want”. 

[rowanfalkor]

shadesofxgrey‌:

Jasper could understand why the man was so standoffish, but that knowledge didn’t entirely erase his annoyance. “When? When have we murdered for our religious beliefs? Our specific four kingdoms? We execute those who break the law, but you won’t see Acaians burning down nations so that they’ll worship our gods.”

“Right... so slitting someone’s throat doesn’t count as murder” he replied, not understanding the man’s logic with something that he had literally just said. “How would I know when you have done anything? Far as any of us know, none of you have ever let the four kingdoms?” 

[rowanfalkor]

songbird-sylvia‌:

“Your ancestors… who had broken the laws of the land, and were punished for their own actions.” She raised a brow, she was sympathetic to the plight of the individuals before her, but not to their criminal ancestors. “I have compassion for your people today, who have done nothing wrong, but in the same vein, we were not the ones who passed that sentence on your people. You cannot hold us responsible for the actions of our ancestors, if you expect us to forgive the actions of yours.” She didn’t see any way for them to move forward together as long as they held onto the grudges of the past. “A show of good faith would help to ease tensions on both sides.”

“Yet no one has been banished in decades. If their crimes were that bad, execution would have been kinder” and probably more sensible, as now there was generations of people born from those the kingdoms once declared too dangerous to stay. “Who said anything about forgiveness? If crime is that much of a problem then so be it. But that grudge will always be there as long as we are treated like criminals" and maybe they had lived differently, but far as he knew everyone had been behaving since arriving, if only because they were too exhausted to do much else. “Then your people can show it. We arrived peacefully, that is enough”.

[rowanfalkor]

songbird-sylvia‌:

Sylvia’s eyebrows shot up at his answer, her expression growing troubled. Even in the slums, she could usually see a sliver of hope in people’s eyes, some belief that things could get better, but she didn’t know what to make of a people who believed only in despair. She didn’t have the words to respond, she didn’t know what she could say, so she said nothing.

“Well, you can’t just show up on our doorstep and expect us to show you directly to our leaders, without any indication of what you want from them.” She gave him a look of disbelief. “Perhaps if you were to offer the royals some… assurance of your good will, they would extend the same to you.” She suggested with a shrug. “But as long as your motives remain so shrouded in mystery, you cannot expect the royals to simply bend to your whims.” Sylvia didn’t expect him to bare his soul to her, by any means, but hopefully she could make him think about being a bit more forthcoming with their ambassadors, or the officials who could actually make things happen for them. She didn’t want to reveal her own connection to the queen, not knowing how he might react.

Well he might not be able to understand what people’s double meanings were, but he still could read facial expressions, and her’s said it all. But he saw no reason he needed to believe in something that he didn’t. “The last time any of us had any contact with the royals, was when they were sending our ancestors out into the wilderness to die... and we have to show good will?” that was ridiculous to him. They were the ones who had been betrayed, and now just because they had dared show up, they were expected to bend over backwards to be nice? These people had lived in comfort too long it seemed. “I don’t think out motives are shrouded. If we meant to kill them, we wouldn’t have announced our arrival, just snuck in and slit their throats”. 

[rowanfalkor]

astrid-grey‌:

Astrid stared at the ground embarrassed. “I’ve just never seen your people before - I meant no harm.” she apologized, perhaps it was a terrible decision to come out here on her own. “I was merely bringing out some bread for the children, you can have a loaf if you’d like.” 

“Because we were sent away” alright so it had been his ancestors sent away, but right now that was not the point. They had been banished, and they had known that would include their children as well. “I’m not taking food from children”. 

[rowanfalkor]

tclbotts‌:

“Mine wasn’t a perfectly good item.” he said flatly, returning his attention from the remains of the bonfire. That was in the past now — whatever remained on the field. Dominic knew he was better off trying not to relive the harvest, lest the gods became displeased.

“You’re out from the coast.” he said. That was code. The king doubted their people were fond of the word barbarian, and the last thing he wanted right now was to offend an outsider here for reasons unknown still. “You’ve come an awfully far way.”

“Doesn’t mean it couldn’t have been used, or made into something new” he was pretty sure everything he owned was broken down from something else. Here he imagined that was called poverty, there it had just been normal.

Cleverly put, interesting. “Didn’t have a choice. Our blood all comes from here anyway” not something he wanted to think about. His ancestor has been banished, and for something most wouldn’t have even called a crime. 

[rowanfalkor]

shadesofxgrey‌:

“I’m not loitering, I have a purpose for being here,” Jasper reminded the man, raising a brow. The man’s argumentative nature was grinding on Jas’ nerves already. How these people planned to accomplish anything productive with such a disposition was beyond Jasper’s current comprehension. He’d think it over more later, perhaps, once he’d nursed the hangover he was carrying in his head. His brows stayed raised, his deep eyes studying the man. “You’d do well not to take such an offensive stance against our gods. Other men would slit your throat for such words - heretics aren’t received well.”

“Then go do it” or were people in the habit of stopping what they were doing just to insult someone else? He wasn’t sure he would ever understand the people living here. They all played games when they spoke, and they all just seemed to do whatever they wanted. Or maybe it was the hierarchy. Something he’d never see a point in. Sure they had one, but nothing like as complicated as the ones here. The strongest and wisest ruled... that was it. “Let them try. You call my people barbaric and violent, but yours murder for beliefs”. 

[rowanfalkor]

queen-josefin‌:

Sometimes she wondered what it would be like if she could read others’ minds, would it make it easier, or would it just infuriate her and disappoint her to know the truth of what people thought? In truth, she didn’t care what he thought about her specifically… she did care what he thought about his people though. That would give away more of his intentions. She knew what he assumed about the kingdoms, and how misguided he was about the current rulers, at least… some of them.

“But your ancestors did, nonetheless. And from all accounts, that area should have been flourishing with the fishing trade and natural resources.” So what had happened that had pushed them back? She glanced him over again and said almost sarcastically, “Did I? Take that literally?” Or was this all just a dance? A game of cat and mouse to find some truth to the situation. She could play the mouse, for a while, if it would reveal anything useful. “It has more to do with not wanting your people to expect anything. And trying to delay their involvement in the political tug of war that will inevitably happen because of you showing up.” She shrugged. “Your people have ghost stories as well but… we’re not all monsters.”

For a moment his mind went back to the place that they had left. It wasn’t anywhere as well built or advanced as this, but they had everything they needed for a while. Food, shelter... and that was all, but they hadn’t needed anything else. They were as happy as they were ever going to be living like that, and it hadn’t occurred to any of them to actually leave. Hatred for the four kingdoms might run in all of them, but they’d had no plans to do anything. Then they had no choice.

“My ancestors had to survive, that isn’t the same thing. How would you know? Have you ever left the four kingdoms?” he doubted it. No newcomers or trespassers had been seen in decades to their knowledge, and that was the only possible way anyone could know the fishing or resources was if they had seen it. “I don’t know, I don’t play games” but he had forgotten that they did here. How they had any free time he didn’t really know. “Far as I know no one has asked for anything but a meeting with the royals. The politics is your problem, not mine” and really he assumed there must have been easier ways then this, but this was the plan and he had to go with it. “We don’t think you are. Monsters are just stories, what your ancestors did our existence is evidence of”. 

[rowanfalkor]

songbird-sylvia‌:

“So what do you believe in?” She asked, genuinely curious. She didn’t have the kind of conviction in her beliefs to accuse him of blasphemy for questioning the gods, nor did she want to start a fight. She could understand why their ancestors might feel as though the gods had abandoned them, and why they wouldn’t pass their practices onto their children. But the things a person believed in said a lot about them, about how far they would go.

She pursed her lips, not wanting to let the conversation get too aggressive. “Is it not a fair question? Your people have not been clear about what you want here, what you want from us. I hope that we can find a way to let go of the past, to live in peace, but if it’s war that you seek… then I suppose it is war we will have.”

It was a fair enough question, the problem was that he didn’t really think he did believe in anything. Never had a reason to before now. Just stuck on the edge of no where, with people who were mostly bitter, and rightly so in his eyes. “Suffering” that much was true, it was when people suffered they acted, and he could already see it here in the kingdoms and it had only been a few days. 

“We’ve been very clear. We want to speak to the royalty” it came down to that and that alone. He wasn’t going to go further into their plans. He didn’t owe that to anyone. They had been through enough out there, and really if he had it their way, they wouldn’t even be trying to talk this out.

[rowanfalkor]

songbird-sylvia‌:

“Maybe it was fate, the will of the gods bringing you back at a time when we were celebrating new beginnings,” she mused, she didn’t know if they even still worshiped the same gods, but perhaps she could find out. She was glad he was willing to speak to her at all; to hear some people tell of the barbarians they were so bloodthirsty they’d attack at any provocation.

“Does that mean you didn’t come here for a fresh start? You won’t let go of the past?” She frowned a little, that was less encouraging. The kingdoms could perhaps make room for them if they were willing to live and work alongside them, but if they were hellbent on revenge, it would eventually lead to war. That was the last thing Sylvia wanted. 

“They’re your gods, not ours” and he didn’t have any gods that he believed in. He had never seen a point to it, and nothing anyone spoke about had enlightened him further. He knew some of the others had their beliefs, but for his family those had long since died out.

He was silent, knowing better then to give too much away about just what they were planning. That was for the conversations with royalty. Richly dressed she may be, but he was not one of those involved with talking. “You’re asking if we’re going to kill you all?” 

[rowanfalkor]

astrid-grey‌:

Astrid had been outside the castle a basket of bread in hand - left over bread from dinner she didn’t want to go to waste. She watched the children rummaging around for garbage, something to eat. The troubles on the streets of the kingdom always pulled at her heartstrings. She stopped suddenly watching a man - a new comer look through the remains of their festival. 

Astrid jumped when he addressed her. “Oh - my - my apologies…I didn’t mean to stare.” she apologized. 

It didn’t take a lot to realise the girl came from money. The clothes were enough of a give away. He wondered if it was normal for them to walk the streets with food, of if it was some lame disguise in order to observe just what was going on. The latter more likely. “You mean you didn’t mean to get caught staring” that seemed more likely to him.

[rowanfalkor]

queen-josefin‌:

He was trying every tactic to be intimidating and frightening. The question was… why? What did he gain by crawling back to the kingdoms that cast his ancestors out? What did he gain by attempting to scare her off? She might have been a descendant of someone who cast his people out, but he was a descendant of someone who supposedly committed crimes against the kingdoms. Not that she actually believed the severity of the crimes, nor that the punishment was fitting, Josefin hoped, perhaps foolishly, that there were always alternatives to such harsh measures.

“Pardon me. I didn’t realize making your own kingdom failed to absolve you of your nomadic status.” His answer gave plenty away though. He was pretending, for whatever reason, not to be concerned with the fact that his people were starving. Was it just bravado, then? “I don’t wish for anything, sir. Wishing never gets results.” Her eyes narrowed and she stepped toward the crates, “Rations, enough food for at least a week or two. As long as you don’t inform your people who supplied it, you all can have them.” She didn’t want them to think she was reaching out for favors or an alliance. At least not yet. She had to hold her cards closely to her chest, information was best spent frugally. “I am not my forefathers. I don’t intend to allow your women and children to starve.”

It was easy enough to guess she was someone with some sort of power. There was no other logical reason for her to have people deliver this amount of food... or even to have the food in the first place. No wonder she didn’t want anyone knowing who she was. Such an easy way to bring apart the kingdoms unity. Not that he wanted anything to do with that side of things. There were others that were much more equipped with talking, and he wasn’t even sure they were going about this the right way. Why give these people anything?

“We didn’t chose to do it” it was simple as that. Fine, if they had to punish the crimes, but that had been cruel. “I didn’t realise you were going to take everything quite that literally” and thinking about what he said had never been something he felt a need to do. He didn’t see any point in changing that about him now, even if his opinions wouldn’t be liked, he didn’t really care what they thought of him. “Can’t, I don’t know who you are. Imagine that has more to do with not pissing anyone off” he wasn’t blind to the fact that there was some who didn’t want to help them. That was their choice. “No, but it makes for good bribery or blackmail”. 

[rowanfalkor]

songbird-sylvia‌:

Sylvia knew very well that it was rude to stare, and yet, her first glimpse of the barbarian threat among them and she couldn’t help herself. He didn’t really look like what she’d expected a barbarian to look like, and yet, he definitely stood out in the marketplace, and not just because of his height. There was something different about him, something other, something that said he didn’t belong. When he called her out, she raised her eyebrows at him, then smiled softly.

“Mostly the latter,” she admitted, shrugging as she moved close enough to converse with him. She nodded towards the fabric in his hand. “We had a festival just before your people arrived, it’s a sort of celebration of new beginnings, discarding the past.” She explained, looking up from the ruined material to his face, studying it carefully. “Seems like more than coincidence, doesn’t it? That your people should arrive now, of all times.”

Least she was honest, that was refreshing different around here. Everyone seemed to be so worried about how they came off. Frankly he couldn’t figure out how they had time to get anything done if they spent so long worrying over what other people thought about what they were doing all of the time, whilst second guessing other people. Just seemed a waste.

“Wouldn’t call it a coincidence. We didn’t know there was a festival” least he didn’t think anyone had known. All those traditions had been forgotten over time. They belonged to the people who had kicked them out, no one had wanted to celebrate them originally, and they didn’t pass down. Something he was becoming more and more relieved about. “Does prove one thing, can’t discard the past, always comes back”. 

[rowanfalkor]

shadesofxgrey‌:

“Oh? Loitering around our streets seems like crime enough.” Jasper had to bite back his sympathies. He’d hardened himself long ago, choosing to take on the appearance and manner of someone who’d grown up in the lap of luxury, but he remembered what it was like to be poor and to have no real home. The streets had once been his sanctuary. Again, he clicked his tongue in mild annoyance at the stranger’s insult. “Those were burned in honor to gods. Not even a beggar would dare trample on that tradition.”

“Then we would both be arrested” he replied with a shrug. He knew enough of their laws to not get himself arrested and he planned to stick to them... for now anyway. Still, it was amusing to watch people assume the worst straight away. He wondered if anyone would have survived where he came from. People didn’t much like being accused. “Your gods... who allow people to starve but demand things that could help them be burnt”.

[rowanfalkor]

shadesofxgrey‌:

Jasper tutted at the quip, unimpressed. “Sharp tongue for a criminal.” He was careful not to move too close, despite the fact that he could defend himself. The Barbarians weren’t a group he wanted to anger, at least, not on his own. If his advice to the King angered the group, then he didn’t really care.

“I’m simply taking a walk. A member of Acacia’s Court hasn’t made it back to the carriages yet and we’re due to leave soon. I don’t care if you’re….” Jasper’s eyes moved critically over the scene. He was reminded of himself and how he’d scavenge for usable items whenever a large crowd came through. “Rummaging through our leftovers like an animal.”

Well that was better then the usual stuttering that he had received so far. The other end of the spectrum really, and only slightly less irritating. “To be a criminal, I’d have to have broken a law here” and here he hadn’t, perhaps before he would have. But that was their laws and they had never applied there.

“What a good lap dog” he muttered, though that presumably meant he was from Acacia. Which would do nothing but make him dislike the man more. “Is that what I’m doing? Here I thought I was just observing how wasteful you are. Burning perfectly good things that beggars need”.