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Post by ash on Jan 1, 2017 11:58:42 GMT
The question shocked him. He kept forgetting that her people had been filled in by wanheda. So they knew he had been banished. But on the other hand so many people did not care about any of this. He was now king, he had to act the part. The emotional baggage that came with finally returning home, it was something his people wouldn't acknowledge, but hers. Somehow they did. They valued strength but saw vulnerability as a form of strength, too. It fascinated him, if he was honest. It always reminded him of something he saw: A mother presenting her neck, to protect her child. This vulnerability was a show of ultimate strength in Roans eyes - and something he never had.
"Officially it's been years. Heda came just out of a war with my mother. I was banished then." But it was more political. "In reality it was a few months ago. I sought refuge with a family close to the border. They helped me treat a wound, welcomed me with open arms. They spoke about hope for my reign. Up until recently that would have been impossible, though." Now it was possible. "So the last time I was there undisguised and not as someone they could have killed any second was years ago. I didn't bother truly counting. It was the day I was banished."
Nina Eaton
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Post by ash on Dec 1, 2016 19:25:36 GMT
“I am a criminal.” Roan pointed out. “Banishment automatically pronounces you a criminal.” He said. And it pronounced him as someone they could kill. It was his lot in life it seemed. From prince to criminal, someone they hunted. He had run into people who were willing to do just that before. It was a horrible fate in his eyes. But it was nothing. Nothing to the woman who cast this on him, those who let this happen to exact control where no control could be had. There was no way anyone could gain control over someone who viewed themselves as this powerful.
“In political games like this, it matters little if anyone is truly innocent or not. My worst crime is the blood running through my veins.” It was a weird connection actually. For her, her blood what brought her to his mothers attention, which gave her this elevated yet secret she seemed to thrive in. And yet what she said was the last thing he expected. He thought he might persuade her to help him, but he never dared to hope she’d have missed him. Yet here she was. It was a strange feeling blooming in his chest, warmth, burning like a fire he thought no longer existant. Yet here it was, a tiny flicker of the flame of hope. A dangerous thing to have in his position. For himself and others. With his training, her position and their combined determination, they could make a powerful enemy. “I missed you, too.” He knew it meant a lot less coming from him, to her probably. He was always a tad more open with that kind of thing. Just then he had a thought. Maybe that was what they could pry on. If she missed him, others might, too. Others might want the prince back. This was a game of power and control.
“What if we give them no choice?” He offered. “There are a few, Ontari, that want me as their prince, that put their hope in me. All we might have to do is spark the fire of rebellion. They banished me to gain control over my mother – useless, as you know – maybe they reinstate me to gain control over the masses. One spark to ignite a fire, Ontari, that might be all we need. Or we kill Lexa."
iah
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Post by ash on Dec 1, 2016 17:34:51 GMT
She was okay. That was good. After everything this attack on her was not good for Azgeda, but those people didn’t understand that. Those people only understood one thing: Azgedas glory went above all. They despised him for this move and yet Roan knew, deep down it was the right move. He knew Azgedas strength had to come from the alliance, because that was their status quo now. And it would not change anytime soon. It couldn’t. The alliance was here, so they had to work with it. End of story.
“They hate me more than you. You are just a stranger, a symbol of everything I do wrong.” Of everything he changed. He wasn’t his mother and they were beginning to grasp it. Some were welcoming it, some hated it and with that him. And with that came the desire to rid themselves of the queen to force the king – the only heir – to get back in line. His head was relatively safe due to his lack of an heir. “There probably are.” He wouldn’t lie about that. “I will assign more guards to you. Exclussively loyal. And I will contact Polis over this.” It was the best way he knew. She was trikru. Trikru had an interest in keeping his Queen alive, to keep her an ally. “Ask for Trikru guards for you. I suspect you’d trust them more than Azgeda.”
amber4
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Post by ash on Nov 23, 2016 17:14:03 GMT
"Of course I did." It was a question that he could answer simply. In his environment, it was easy for a young boy to imagine a better life. He was surrounded by it. He was surrounded by other boys being embraced by their mothers - and more importantly their fathers. He watched them be encouraged by them, empowered. He watched as their parents told them they could do it, instead of being told they had to do it or suffer from the absolute failure of this. And he wondered how his father would see this. How his father would have been. "But I stayed. Out of loyalty to my people, to my mother. " More to his people, though. The duty was always present in his mind, too. It only left in recent years and for good reason. He might still be the prince, but a banished prince could do nothing.
"So they tell you to give up everything for your people. Yourself, your emotions, your health. Some of you won't even live to see the next day. But then you are trained to give everything and yet you get nothing back but an early death sentence. You don't even get the luxury to make a decision to be a healthy leader." And a healthy leader was not someone who gave themselves up, not in Roans mind.
"Look at it that way, if you go and give a hungry person your food, you will both starve. You won't have food anymore and once you are gone, there is nobody to give the hungry one food. But if you share it, keep enough for yourself to properly feed you, both you and the hungry one will live and feed. If you give up so much of yourself, you can't take care of your people. it serves everyone better."
Aden |
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Post by ash on Nov 23, 2016 15:48:07 GMT
He was confused. If he didn’t snore what was it? He tried to remember, until she said that maybe he really didn’t make a mistake. And maybe he didn’t. But what was it? Ontari was not the kind to get this serious over nothing. If something was bothering her, it was something real, not some “I didn’t know what to wear” matter. With Ontari it might easily be a life and death kind of thing. And if it was, he had to worry. As it turned out, he had to worry, but not in a way she might expect. Pregnant. If she told him, after asking about their night, he had to be the father. So she was expecting a child. That in itself was no bad news. Children were a blessing, even his mother would appreciate an heir, especially one from her. But it was dangerous, too. Especially in this case.
His mother would be furious and pleased, but mostly furious. “We can’t tell anyone yet.” He whispered. “We need a plan. This could be dangerous.” If the enemy found out, they might use it. And what his mother would make them do, he didn’t want to force Ontari into anything. “We need to consider our options.” But he had no doubt she already did this alone. And they were out in the open. They shouldn’t be. Not while discussing something like that. “Lets go to one of our rooms.”
iah
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Post by ash on Nov 18, 2016 18:29:45 GMT
"Make no mistake" Roan started again a slight smile on his face: "Not even I am worthy of being greeted by my queen and I'm her son." At least that was something he could tell her without shame. He was her son, her heir, the prince, but at the end of the day, she kept him in a certain spot for political reasons and whatever other reasons. He found no affection in his mother, not even as a child. He learned to not need it. "Again it is not my judgment that matters." Roan pointed out. "If I thought you were an assassin, I would not be here. Only heir, remember?" Bu that only meant he got to carry on the legacy, nothing else. It did not elevate him now. Or in the future, he would guess. Basically he was a usable resource. And he was being used.
"If they don't accept them, there might not be peace." Roan pointed out. "Our people can't just submit to a commander from another clan. Do you have any idea what is at stake for us? Our people have been run down by a war over terms and treaties. And yet we would have to give more than we can spare. We would even have to give our honor. And resources beyond what we can spare. Yet none of the negotiations have paid attention to the reality of what our people need. I have yet to see an offer for food during winter." Roan pointed out. "Yet half of my people struggle more than your people every winter."
Costia
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Post by ash on Nov 16, 2016 16:28:39 GMT
Roan followed the girl into the other room. There were so many rooms, it wasn’t hard to find one unoccupied. He still kept the hood on, still kept himself hidden, for other reasons. He was no longer the same man he had been and he was well aware of it. While in Azgeda apart from winter he was always well fed, well trained. Now the training was harsher, bordering on too much. His face hs grown harder, his features. His hair was longer, less bright as he hadn’t taken care of that in ages. There were fresh and deep scars upon his body. But deep down he was still the same man. Just changed by experiences. Roan leaned against the wall, arms crossed in front of him.
“I know it will be hard.” He said. “I know a different story has been spread here. Which is it? Did I run off?” He asked her. He had heard that while being out as well. He heard many assumptions on where he was and why he was not in Azgeda. “Ontari, where do I stand in Azgeda? What do they think of their prince?” Did they know the reason they could kill the prince was Lexa? Did they know any of that? “What were you told?” It was just as important to him as his people. He had to know to know how to deal with this. “Ontari… I just want to return home. Hell, I don’t even care if I’m no longer prince. I’m sick of having to run all the time.”
iah
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Post by ash on Nov 16, 2016 16:22:27 GMT
She was right. He did appreciate loyalty. If he hadn’t developed that already his mothers and Lexas betrayal would have pushed him there. As well as honor. He wanted to do honorable by his people and others, which was why he helped Clarke to repay his debt to Lexa, even though it could be argued he had no debt at all. She had betrayed him first, banished him for simply being the wrong person in the wrong family. It was all just a mess. “You owe no loyalty to me.” Roan pointed out. Not yet at least. He hoped to change that.
“I take it seriously, indeed. Loyalty is important in this world. But all too rare. I want the best for my people, I want to lead by example. Which means you can be sure of my intentions, but all words, right? I will show this to you, too.” And to her people. “I have interest in stability… and in your peoples abilities. Our people can only profit from one another. So one step at a time.” Roan almost gently patted her back. “I promise you safety in all cases and as you know loyalty means a lot to me, I will stay loyal to this word. On top of that, I will honor it alone, because I know how it feels like to be betrayed.”
Nina Eaton
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Post by ash on Nov 9, 2016 16:36:21 GMT
Roan loved at how eager she was to hear what he thought of her. It was curiosity, he thought. But it was nothing bad. He had a rather good opinion of her so far. “You seem clever, logical, rooted in reality.” Clever, but not overly clever, actually. Not a know it all. Just someone who would know how to help themselves. And that is valuable. On so many levels. “A survivor – and those are important for your people now.” It was sadly that simple. “Because survivors know when to put their guard up. I suspect you never lowered yours around me. If I was to reach for my weapon now, you would be able to defend yourself. Not everyone of your people is, despite how… much my people proved how much you needed that.” They would have to get it.
“Survival isn’t easy in this world. Which is why our clans are… specialized. But survivors like you specialize themselves whatever the situation. You fall into place with the leader, the one who would provide you protection. I have no doubt the moment I would no longer do that, you would turn away from me, to protect yourself. I couldn’t blame you.”
Nina Eaton
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Post by ash on Nov 8, 2016 17:27:01 GMT
“A popular mistake my people seem to make.” Roan pointed out. They had, as far as he knew, underestimate the sky people from the beginning. They had thought them easy prey, easy to overpower, to kill and ultimately end. They were wrong. Whatever they threw at Skaikru they bounced back. Whatever they killed, they paid for it. And yet Roan could see they were the villains here. He knew it and he had an intention to change that, not necessarily to being the heroes, but neutral ground could keep them all alive.
“My people underestimated you and your people quite often now. Look where it brought us.” To the brink of war and back. Now, for the sake of survival to a fragile ceasefire and maybe to a fragile peace. Roan knew of his peoples arrogance. They knew Skaikru needed their knowledge of this world. They knew they needed them for food in many ways. But the arrogance lay in the worth of all of that. Arkadia had technologies they could only dream of. They had more power. He would not underestimate them again. “Both sides would be so much better off without the fights. We could learn from you and you from us, yet we keep on thinking we are superior to you. What a horrible mistake.”
cherry1
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Post by ash on Nov 8, 2016 16:43:49 GMT
John Murphy He was a more frequent guest in Arkadia these days. With his grievous injuries and then the troubles after the city of light – and with new friends made in an unlikely time like that, Roan was there sometimes. He had to be there, to make sure it all went smoothly. Some of his people just couldn’t be trusted. Some of THEIR people just couldn’t be trusted either. They were so willing to change their mind faster than he could braid his damn hair. And they were like children. At least sometimes. There were some kindred spirits among skaikru, but they were far and few in between. He found himself not disagreeing with a young man, so when Roan got food, he joined him at a table, frowning about two other Arkers.
“You would think after months on the ground some of your people would understand that they can’t touch everything.” But they still discussed wanting to touch a certain animal they met outside. By what he heard that was a bad idea in itself, but he wouldn’t stop them either. They said you shouldn’t stop people that were moving. So he wouldn’t stop them. “Those two over there.” He nodded towards them. “Are disgussing picking up an animal. I have half a mind to tell them that the animals bite kills faster than they could bring it back here. But it does look kind of adorable. If you don’t know it can kill you, of course.”
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Post by ash on Oct 25, 2016 17:10:05 GMT
Did he remember the Festival of Lights? What question was this? He did something, didn't he? Something he might not put an emphasis on, but was important enough to her to bring this up now, not that he could blame her for that. He sometimes found little things in others that he remembered and they didn't. it was part of life and the way they experienced things differently. But he remembered everything that ultimately counted. He remembered their night. He remembered how gentle she had gotten for moments and how different. It was like it was with many: In bed she had only one role to fulfill: Being herself.
"I remember a lot." he said, but refused to say more out in the open. What exactly happened between them was none of the business of his men and others around them, who would probably not, but still could overhear what was said between them. Roan sighed. He hated the fact that they were usually around people in one form or the other. He liked it private. But he couldn't have that very often. "All of it I dare say, but if you ask that, I probably don't. Did I snore?"
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Post by ash on Oct 25, 2016 16:16:46 GMT
Nice and cosy covered it wonderfully. It was very unlike where he grew up. More like a place he stayed in during his banishment. He had, for a time, had a rather permanent place, with something akin to a bed, entertainment of sorts and belongings. It lasted him for a long time until his constant presence in the area was noted and people were getting the idea that he was actually banished and shouldn't be there to begin with. They didn't attack yet, but he still left. He had to. It had only been a matter of time.
Before he could conclude his thoughts, though, Harper had crashed her lips to his. He gasped into it for a moment, ou of surprise, though why he was, he had no idea. She was forward. Roan wrapped his arms around her, picking her up a little to make the angle more comfortable for both of them. Her hand on his chest alone was a feeling unknown to him, but none the less pleasant. It was too nice to feel her soft fingers through the fabric of his shirt. As he pulled back he grinned. "So forward. I like it." He looked into her eyes. "I think we're wearing too much."
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Post by ash on Oct 19, 2016 15:34:03 GMT
"Well she was not overly clever either." Roan pointed out. It would all stand and fall with what Lexa decided. But it was worth a shot. It was a question of how much she would come to trust Ontari. It was a question of how well she could act and he knew she had been trained to act certain ways, simply because she had to hide her true identity. He knew if anyone could pull that off, it would be Ontari. And he knew that with her, they could come up with an idea, if she was willing to give him a chance and would help him. Lexa was but a girl, too. She was, just like any other person, except for her role. With the right deception, or well arguments, he was sure they could persuade her to let him back.
"Ontari, if anyone can come up with a plan that might work, it is you. If you don't think it will work, we can alter it. Just.... I am sick of this life. I am sick of running whenever I am close to people. Trust me, goats aren't good companions." Especially not when they were prone to give him away, stupid things they were. And then there were those poisonous or venomous animals out there. He was sick and tired of all of it. "Ontari, there is not a day that passed that I didn't wish I could have gone home or parted in a different way. You... out of all the people here, are the only one with the brain to be able to help me."
iah
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Post by ash on Oct 18, 2016 15:58:03 GMT
"If you require assistance with it, then yes." He replied gently. He would not let her down if she needed help. Those practices were in the past. They died with his mother. He was a different kind of leader, aspiring to be everything his mother wasn't - at least in his eyes. He had to be like that to appear strong. Strength didn't come from copying and being the good little prince she had wanted. His strength had to come from his determination and his willingness to get things done his way and only his way. Nobody else could make his decision or stand up for them. He had to. And he would.
"But I have the feeling you won't need help with that at all." Azgeda had many furs. It was on her to find those that she liked. It was on her to decide which kind of fur was the fur she would enjoy wearing. Roan smiled, there was more than that. Her words, her wit, made it seem like she was the kind of woman to be perfectly well with being alone, deciding for herself, all by herself. "You seem like the type of girl to not need much help from anyone."
Nina Eaton
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