❝ Strength without compassion does not a ruler make. ❞ - Manali to Xander. ...or to Garon, if we're feeling brave.
Meme II Accepting!
"You're rebuking me?"
It wasn't often that the Nohrian king found cause to laugh. But his daughter's latest bout of foolishness was certainly one of those times. Upon hearing her protests — her! The war machine that he'd raised — he nearly doubles over in his throne, spewing spittle from laughter.
"You, my little general .... you think you know better than your king?” Garon says, his barking laughter reaching a crescendo. “You think you can advise him when your opinion has not been asked?”
As Garon laughs, his gaze falls upon Xander. Xander is careful to keep his face neutral, but, inwardly, he panicked. He didn’t like where this was going. He knew that his father’s temper was stoked, and whatever happened next would be influenced by it.
Indeed, Garon’s next edict fills him with dread: “My son, why don’t we show what happens to fools who forget their place? Draw your sword.”
Xander didn’t even think of defying him. He gives a curt nod and obliges his father, drawing Siegfried from its sheath. As ever, the blade is pristine, and it hums with energy.
“Now, fight her,” Garon commands. He issues the order as though it’s a simple task. For Xander, it’s anything but. He doesn’t want to hurt his sister, but his duty to his king demands that he fulfill the order. Reluctantly, he raises Siegfried high, and its power responds to his will. A line of blood-red light tore from the blade, but it meets neither flesh nor armor; it misses Manali completely, instead striking a wall behind her.
“Father,” Xander says, making certain to keep his voice quiet and reverent. “It was by your will and blessing that I, not her, was granted Siegfried. Is that not demonstration enough of where she stands?”
Garon was unmoved. His eyes narrowed. Quickly, before he could scream another edict, Xander continues: “She is tired, Father, and has forgotten herself. We should dismiss our general and let her rest. By your leave, I will take a different adjutant with me.”
Garon’s expression was unchanged. For one deadly moment, an ominous silence hung between them. Then, in the next, the king relents. “Very well, Xander. Take Hans with you. Do not fail me.”
Xander bows, ever graceful, and takes Manali’s hand, practically dragging her out of the chamber with him. Once they’re far enough from Garon, he lets her hand go and gives her a death glare.
“What were you thinking, inciting Father like that!?”