#stonegit

Part 1

She opened her mouth to reply but her voice was stuck in her throat, flicking her eyes towards Stonegit as she went down the line of Conclave soldiers she encountered to get to him... and then after.

Multiple soldiers caught and drowned in the frenzied deluge when the barrier came down. Every slice across a neck and stab through the chest for every enemy that tried to cut her off in her search. The bloody gore that Koiroll left behind, raining on her and Liam, his blood lust ringing loud and dangerous between them as shadows flickered uncontrollably. People caught in ice spikes and muddy waves as they took down the construct. The intentional, Ragnarok-like drowning of villages worth of Conclave riots, crushing under the weight of the ocean, saltwater churning and unforgiving under her finger tips as bodies struggled helplessly.

@moe-lazyeye

Akkey opened her eyes in one motion, staring blankly up the ceiling of the makeshift infirmary that was set up for the teleportation team. She could only vaguely remember snippets--the last pop of a portal, a flap of wings, mud and ground caking her face. And a shadow in a dream, barely missed.

It was morning twilight, the room swathed in the dull light of pre-dawn, and as much as her body screamed silently in pain, she forced herself out of bed. She had to go.

"It's only been a couple hours," Juro said quietly from his own resting place, stretched out on the rickety bed with one tired arm over his eyes. He had no plans to sleep, much to Milae's discontent when they stumbled earlier on to where he laid now, but even he knew exactly how much of a toll the portals took on everyone--two hours of unconsciousness was barely a dent in his own recovery, let alone hers.

"Everyone is still knocked out."

"Yeah." Akkey took a moment to collect herself, sitting on the side of the bed with her head in her hands.

"So get back under the covers and sleep--"

"You think I can sleep here? Within the Jaws of Fenrir?" There was bitterness and fear in her voice, and if it wasn't for shadowing side effects, a darkness would've passed her eyes, "Managed to hold myself together long enough to do what I came here for. Did... something with the shadows and Liam, that was fucking great. But I'm not about to risk going through an attack with this many injured people around me, especially in my state," she said, stubborn and tired and soft.

Akkey stood, one hand supporting herself on the bedpost as she shot a look towards the Bookkeeper, accompanied by the resting figures of Milae and Dario on another sleeping spot. Her expression softened slightly at the sight of them, feeling like she hadn't seen them in years before tonight. She made a mental note to invite them to Yrus for a vacation when they could.

She turned on her heel, and slowly made her way out the building in a slightly staggering line. But she paused at the foot of another bed, where Liam laid, with the sleeping Kendra and Vox near him, and surely Nala hovering somewhere unseen. She came up to the side, observing his pale face and the worried lines that creased his family's foreheads. If it weren't for him, she wouldn't have made it through the last set of portals.

Akkey twisted the corner of her lips, passing a still shaky hand over her mouth in worry for the boy before knocking her arm against his, now certainly becoming a habit, "Thanks for the help, kid. I owe you big time. Really." she said in a low tone so as not to wake anyone else.

"You take my place in the portal train back. I'll have a story for you in payment," she gave Juro a final look, begging for the favour, but he waved a weak hand up in reply.

"On the house."

Part 2 @moe-lazyeye

x @moe-lazyeye

She could only stare at him for a while, still dumbfounded, but mixed with a confusing sense of wonder at how it was possible for the old bodyguard to feel that way.

"I... don't..." she finally spoke in a low voice, clasping her hands together behind her back, "I can't decide if you're amazing or crazy to be able to say that. Although, I suppose that has been your reality from the beginning..." her tone turned into something meek, and she shook her head, the corners of her mouth turned up in an empty smile, "You're better than I am. I don't how I could possibly do that... "

@moe-lazyeye

Part 1, Part 2

Stonegit: Stonegit remained still. He knew what the answer had meant as well as Jonas. The possibility was there. The family could back him but not if a war broke out because of his actions. With one member of the royal family already dead, there was no one else who could rightly take the fall outside of Stonegit. Stonegit stepped further back into the room and rummaged around until he found some parchment and charcoal. "There may be little I can give you, Jonas, to help bring light to this situation. The tariff I forced Eindride to sign is gone, and between my memory and words I fear I am just breeding confusion..." He gave a wry, reminiscent smile as he scratched the pen across the paper. "Which has always plagued me I suppose, but here." He passed him a set of notes. The runic scrawl was still rudimentary, although a good deal better than Jonas remembered when Stonegit had been younger. "This is a copy of the letter I sent with the released hostages. And this is a note of everything I remember from the original document, and the day I brought it to Egil."

Jonas: The day I brought it to Egil. Well. There was the answer to that. Jonas wasn't sure if this made things better or worse. It was mostly learning which "worst" the situation was. Jonas looked over the notes, mulling carefully. He held the paper up in one hand and rubbed at his chin with the other. "The document Egil signed," Jonas said, as a statement, but to receive outright confirmation from Stonegit. This was huge. He wasn't angry at Stonegit. He was just concerned with making this situation right before a dear family friend was harmed and before international conflict broke out anew. It was a problem, and Jonas felt the pressing weight to fix it.

Stonegit: "Yes." Stonegit confirmed. "After I managed to get the councils to draft the document and Eindride to sign it, I took it to Egil. He signed it with scarcely a word." His hand came up to rub at his eyes and brow. "Jonas I...I fear I may have taken advantage of Egil in a time of grief. On my life I would never do such a thing on purpose but looking back..." He sighed as he slumped back in the chair. Even in the recollected summary, the sanctions Stonegit had managed to put against Eindride were severe and sparred no force behind its blows. However, as Jonas continued to mull through the papers, he did notice an element to the note sent with the hostages that Stonegit had neglected to make a point out of. It appeared as though the discussion of blood debts had actually originated with Eindride, a point that Stonegit then acknowledged, not that there had been much room for the Wilderwest to respond to the invasion as if it had been anything other than an act of war. It was conversation specific enough that Eindride would understand its meaning without the need for Stonegit to even sign the letter, nor did it have any excessive words that could have been used against the Wilderwest. It was, potentially, another starting place to finding out the means to stabilizing this matter.

Jonas: Jonas was still mulling over the data, but to Stonegit, he better knew what to say. "A person's grief does not rob them agency. You made your decision, he, his." Ultimately, Egil's responsibility would always fall on himself. Jonas fell silent again as he processed his remaining thoughts. He didn't enjoy thinking over his father's death, but therein lie the tangle of the issues. That the blood debts began with his father's offense and were fulfilled through Eindride executing him made sense. It coincided with everything Jonas independently understood of the matter. Eindride's quest had been to take vengeance against Gareth for those Gareth had slain. With the death of his father, Eindride's violence would be fulfilled, if Eindride were being logical. As he'd already voiced to Stonegit, Jonas suspected the Wildest North would find Stonegit's retaliation an unnecessary and grievous deed for a matter that should've already been 'settled,' so he feared this would set them on path for a second round of tit-for-tat. He feared this would make them feel the Wilderwest would continue to act unjustly against them. However, it did also mean that, with the blood debt paid in his father's death, in an ideal situation, they could negotiate peace: the most egregious Wilderwest offenses were already settled. He had to hope for this instead of any slights perceived.

Stonegit: Stonegit read Jonas's body language. A skill that had taken him quite a bit to grasp the fundamentals of. It was good to know Jonas did not share his fear, and Stonegit worked within himself to accept the truth of the man's words. "Nothing will stop the Wildest North from making a poor decision if they are determined to do so." He voiced with a note of resignation. "That is what drove them to invade us the first time...so what of Egil then? Shall we take this to him...again...?"

Part 1

Jonas: Jonas thought this through. His experiences with King Eindride and the Wildest North royal family hadn't provided him confidence in their prioritization of rationality. Sparing a king, on its own, wouldn't be enough to cool antagonistic feelings, especially when paired with stripping said king's power and resources for a time. It would be perceived as insult and a massive overstepping of the Wilderwest's international authority. Restoration, likewise, wouldn't undo their memories of the offense. One letter's intended goodwill could easily be misread. Jonas said none of this, though. Instead, he prompted for Stonegit to continue. "Impulsivity seldom has a stopping point. I think that's why they call it impulsivity. What choice did you next make?"

Stonegit: Stonegit's eyes lowered further. He could see Jonas had seen and read more into this matter than he had. But that had always been the case... He was blind to politics. His best work was the average governing figures worst day on the job. What Stonegit had known was vengeance. He couldn't mask it as protective instincts, or post war negotiations, and it made him resent his choice to do anything more than capture Eindride all the more. He lifted a hand to point to Jonas's face, as if to acknowledge the meaning behind the expression, and acknowledge his own inadequacies. The hand lowered again and the bodyguard swallowed once. "I tried to have him healed Jonas...I tried to take back my choice of cutting Eindride's spine..."

Jonas: It didn't go well?" Jonas guessed.

Stonegit: Stonegit's eyes widened even as they stayed locked on their chosen floor tile, and he shook his head.

Jonas: Jonas didn't push. "Well," he said softly, and then waited quietly, letting Stonegit process as long as he needed.

Stonegit: "Thankfully what I lack in geopolitical competence, I make up with suspicion. So I kept myself from doing something truly disastrous. It called for another scramble to fix yet another mistake. Fortune finally took my side though, and it was remedied. Things appear to be...stable..." He met Jonas's eyes. "Egil has not elected to remove me from service, or hand down punishment. But that may not count for much, as I could scarcely finish my confession in time before he fled the conversation..." "It was all reckless...it could invoke further consequences. It could grow into something abhorrent in your mind. But I must stand by it. Because it was right....and because I had to change..."

Jonas: "Well," said Jonas, "Repeatedly breaking policy and stepping outside your role is serious. Wanting to rush back to a previous error can start a chain reaction." It's a chain in more ways than one: it imprisons you, and it becomes a link to many more similar actions. "Mess up, try to correct, overcorrect. New mistake to be guilty over. Try to correct that. Overcorrect again. More muck. More to correct. More to overcorrect. More mistakes in a chain of mistakes. "I don't think Egil's the sort to... implement consequences for someone else's choice. That gives you unlimited freedom. But that means it allows you unlimited potential to err and step outside your boundaries." He waved his hand in the air to brush aside what he just said. He focused on a different area Stonegit had spoken about. "We've got bias, though." He smiled. "Egil, me, all our family, you've been with us through everything. And we know your dedicated heart. You protect us. That's why we keep you at our side."

Stonegit: "I need help." It was the only thing he could think to say in light of Jonas's spot on diagnosis of his plight. And it was, perhaps, the first time Stonegit had ever said what he truly needed to in nearly thirty years. It was the first time he had truly felt the security to say so...

Jonas: Stonegit was far older than Jonas, more experienced, an authority when Jonas had been growing up. They had bonded over shared circumstances, but even as an adult, it surprised Jonas to hear Stonegit say this directly. He knew he wouldn't be able to endorse everything Stonegit might have in mind. He wouldn't be sure where this would take him. But this was serious. This was something they both needed to act on. In addition to helping someone he respected, this seemed like a responsibility he'd best assume as a prince of the Wilderwest. "What shall we do?" he asked, taking on the responsibility.

Stonegit: "I don't know..." Stonegit admitted. But it wasn't in a way that implied dismissal or despair. "But you are right of what you say of me...I must find that line of making things right, and overcorrecting. The line of defending, and soulless vengeance..." "But for starters...people who can be trusted with the matters I blundered ought to be consulted."

Jonas: "From what you've said, Egil knows. That could provide us any resource we need to handle this officially and legally. At the same time, probably covertly. I'm sure you and I both want to minimize the number of people consulted to those we know we can trust. This is a matter that could, after all, escalate to another international incident."

Stonegit: For the first time in a while, Stonegit dug one of his cigars out of his pocket. "Hel's blood upon Friga I hope not." He cursed, as he lit it. "And those in towers who can't take a good thing and leave it call those of us from the woods unsophisticated." He sighed, and then waved as if to wish away is nerves. "But yes. I agree. I'm an isolated person who overstepped. No need for that to upset a nation. Those capable of working behind scenes to address such things would be best."

Jonas: It was a reason to upset a nation. A trusted man working directly under the royal family's care making decisions about the fate of the leadership in another nation. The Wilderwest was responsible for this in exactly the same way the Wilderwest took the blunt of any decision its singular ruler made. Jonas, whose missions often involved covert work, nodded and smiled slightly. "I see why you came to me," he said. There was a small tease to it which kept Jonas sounding humble. There was also respect; Jonas knew that, as far as life experiences went, Stonegit had more years and incidences under his belt than he. "I am," Jonas ruffled his hair again, still feeling the itch from all those days under a helmet, "occupied in other important matters. But I trust my captains under me to handle my front well. I am available, for as much as you need me." Jonas wouldn't usually volunteer so much, but he really did have an inkling this was something important, something that could erupt into dire circumstances without careful attendance. And again, there was the personal element. There was much Stonegit was going through here.

Stonegit: "I won't keep you for very long." Stonegit hurried to assure him. "I just..." He took a steadying breath. "I need you for a moment, Jonas...thank you." He let the room sit in quiet for a moment, as a thin line of smoke curled around the tips of his hair. "I'll answer any question you need to help remedy this...and although any decree Egil makes will be final, I will also answer for my actions in whatever is ultimately deemed appropriate."

Jonas: "Any call to retributive justice would come from the Wildest North." Jonas looked over at Stonegit, concern in his eyes. It was a reminder that the Wildest North's prior choice of 'retributive justice' was decapitation of a monarch. "Answering for your actions is honorable. A true man stands up for what is right even when it risks himself. The Haddock family can stand behind you and provide some protection." Not to the point of subverting justice, but to protect Stonegit from an undue cycle of violence. Egil wouldn't make a decree without his arm being twisted. But Jonas was already thinking about how he could twist that arm.

Stonegit: Stonegit's fingers began to crush the end of the cigar, as his eyes allowed themselves to become suddenly distant. The weight of what he had done settled on him more than it had the day he had tried to cast the mistake the size of a war into a cooking fire. He blew out a stream of smoke, but Jonas saw that it had been used to mask a steadying breath. "Will I have to be executed Jonas?" He asked calmly. Deliberately so. "Could it happen even with those standing behind me?"

Jonas: Jonas waffled for a moment, not wishing to affirm anything. "This isn't a point yet," he finally said. "It's no use going after the darkest hypotheticals." It was a diplomatically assuring answer on the surface, but Jonas knew he was speaking this as a cop-out. His mind was racing. He was trying to make sense of the pieces. How had Stonegit's actions gone this far? How much had been directly endorsed by Egil and the Wilderwest throne, and how much had been Stonegit going rogue? I imposed myself on the councils here and saw it fit to hold Eindride's family hostage... strip him of everything I could that wasn't his life... Were the councils deceived and this never touched the throne? That's what Jonas had assumed at first, but that couldn't be right, could it? For any of this to have been enacted - and it had been enacted - the throne must have greenlit the initial takeover of the Wildest North family. And Egil had been in an angered enough mindset this was plausible. But Jonas hadn't seen this arranged; he'd had been absent from negotiations after the initial clash between Wildest North and Wilderwest, involved in maintaining order at the border, and with the flair-ups from Central, had been abroad for most of Egil's commencing reign. Thus, all this was news to him, and this tangle of information he tried to sort in his mind. Jonas knew he needed to ask Stonegit infinite more questions, iron out the details now that he knew the overarching issue. But there was a indigestible pit in his gut, and any more questions would make that pit grow.

Jonas: Jonas ran his right hand through his short hair, tousling it. It felt relieving to be out of armor, helmetless, at the palace, in relative safety, after a more arduous mission. Relief washed over him the instant he made it through the gates. Home. Rest. Mind, even when he dismounted, he tread through the courtyard with alacrity, as habits were habits, and he'd never be able to move in a slow, laid-back fashion. But even if his body looked poised, Jonas felt comfortable, glad to be back. He'd seen Egil at the stables tending to dragons. They'd talked, briefly. Egil seemed more interested in the dung than his brother, so Jonas left Egil to it. They could hash out what they needed for the kingdom later. As Jonas proceeded indoors, he bumped shoulders. He paused, turned about, and with a nod, greeted the man. "Stonegit," he said pleasantly. "Egil was saying you've been sparring again. Good to hear."

Stonegit: "Jonas..." Stonegit sighed in calm relief, as his hands came up to instinctively check Jonas's armor for any sign he had been harmed while in the field. The war with Central had been drawn out long enough to not only take away the parents of the rebellions children, but also spread into their adult lives. Stonegit had dreaded the day Egil and Jonas had been eligible to fight on a battlefield, and he thanked Hel for every moment they came back from one. Jonas embarking on his duty while Egil remained behind for the same reason had practically pulled the bodyguard apart. But ultimately his role was still to remain with the King, not that Egil hadn't been more than accommodating of Stonegit's recent free time frenzy. "Yes." Stonegit finally answered after his brief loss in thought. "Yes we have...and as you might have expected, I did not win."

Jonas: "You'll get him." Jonas clapped Stonegit on the shoulder. It was a combination of encouragement, respect for what Stonegit had already accomplished, and the brotherly desire for his sibling to have his ass handed to him.

Stonegit: The clap sent a shockwave straight down Stonegit's arm, and buzzed across his teeth for good measure. He squinted deeply and masked the jolt of pain with a tight smile at Jonas's encouragement. The sparring sessions had been good for the soul. But rough on an arm that may as well have been crunched up in the back jaws of a Gronkle. "Not with a blade I won't." He replied, as he kept his posture relaxed.

Jonas: "You'll get him," Jonas repeated, just as genially and confidently.

Stonegit: "You have a great deal of confidence in an old man who's having to learn a bunch of new tricks." Stonegit grinned as he lifted up his sheathed, lance like sword and gave it a shake to emphasize his point.

Jonas: Jonas was about to good-naturedly point out that it was easy to have confidence in the man who'd taught him tricks when he saw Stonegit's sheathed weapon. "That what you're using?" he said, pointing, clearly interested.

Stonegit: Stonegit paused, as he ran a quick timeline in his head between what events happened between Jonas's departure and today. "A recommendation by my new tutor." At the mention of Kiri's brother, his mind wandered. Jonas and Sindri hadnt even been born yet that day...known yet that day... Stonegit gave a huff. "Turns out the Vidar's face was a little too hard for my hands liking so I've been upgraded to something that requires less...brute force." He went with after a moments consideration.

Jonas: Jonas shook his head at the comment about Vidar's face, and turned his answer towards the last comment. "It'll be an interesting direction," Jonas said. Quite a change. "I hope you'll find it suiting you." There were a few stops he needed to make in the palace, so he began walking slowly. The pace indicated he expected Stonegit to keep company and continue conversation. "You don't have more exciting reversals, do you? You're not about to tell me you've taken up needlework and are sewing bunny rabbits into your shirts?"

Stonegit: "Blunt will be thrilled that you're curious about his hobby, not mine." Stonegit joked as he walked easily beside him. He gave a contemplative roll of his eyes. Truthfully there was a great deal to tell Jonas, a great deal that would have been comforting to discuss. But it was for that reason that Stonegit hesitated. Ever since he was a child, Jonas had been easy to talk to. Compared to the conversational edges and, frankly, emotional compromise he was used to when speaking with Haddocks, Jonas had been a God send of mutal communication. Many a argument or misunderstandings between mixed parties had been neutralized due to his early sense of wisdom. When Jonas had grown into the young man he was now, he became someone Stonegit could talk to for hours on end...but with that came the knowledge that Jonas could now comprehend topics Stonegit would never have dared to burden a child, or even a emerging adult with. But everything that had happened over the last few xyz-instert-whatever-time-you-need-to-Tree-xyz while Jonas had been away had been such burdens. Some more recent than others. "Hmm..." Stonegit rubbed at his beard, his expression still lightheartedly thoughtful. "Well I suppose there are several events that could be considered such a thing." He started as he counted out a few fingers. "My new tutor is actually the brother of an old friend back from the dungeon. And I burnt up a couple of Wilderwest surrender contracts without permission to free some enemy hostages under the dead of night."

Jonas: The last sentence caught Jonas' attention, that's for sure. "Excuse me, you did what?"

Stonegit: Stonegit gave a quick glance to ensure they weren't being overheard, and then motioned with his head to step aside into a side room. Once he had clicked the door shut behind them, he faced Jonas. He contemplated his words. "This is, clearly, nothing I plan to repeat. Even to family, unless necessary. And I...I admit me bringing it up in the first place with you is truly a matter of selfishness." Stonegit gave a careful nod. "You recall my part in dealing with Enidrid? After our victory over the Wildest North?"

Jonas: Jonas bowed his head, eyes closing briefly, but other than that, held his constitution. He then nodded once, answering, "That event will not be easily forgotten." He kept his tone open, showing he was listening and respectful of Stonegit's words.

Stonegit: "Indeed..." Stonegit concurred grimly. "But in my grief I made a mistake. What I I did was then a desperate, and vain, attempt to undo that mistake." He found a seat, and rested a hand on the table beside him. "I imposed myself on the councils here and saw it fit to hold Enidrid's family hostage in these lands, and strip him of everything I could that wasn't his life...it was a betrayal of everything I had sought to fix in myself...and people who had no role in your father's death suffered." The hand that rested on the table closed into a fist. "So the draft I so foolishly wrote, and the documents that followed to support it...I destroyed, and the families returned under my protection."

Jonas: "That whiplash will twice-uproot the Wildest North. I'm unsure what their kingdom will make of this. I don't know how they'll respond to the Wilderwest. Hopefully, not antagonistically. Hopefully, they'll understand these are your actions and not the broader kingdom. There are mistakes," Jonas mulled, "but I see your desires are for improvement. To that, I give respect."

Jonas: Stonegit's eyes lowered. "Yes...it was foolish for me to do as well. I was damned either way. But I appreciate your understanding. Rest assured though, the blood debt Enidried had against Gareth was paid...and despite our retaliation hitting them harder than, truthfully anyone, had anticipated, their King was nevertheless spared. Them taking an antagonistic approach now is unlikely. In a moment of somewhat political clarity though, in a letter I framed the choice of releasing of the royal family from under our...my...immedate threat, as a gesture of goodwill. As if to say we have nothing to fear from them." He grimaced. "Sadly that was not the end of my...impulsive decision."