ZARIAH
She considered his words quietly, trying to surmise where he was going. But Neron had always been difficult for her to read, so good at trickery and wordgames he kept her on her toes. Now though, she struggled to piece together the pieces of subtext, and so fell silent, waiting for him to say all he wished to say. Except for when he asked questions of course.
"I am not certain. I've the benefit of hindsight now. But I am certain I would have found a way more quickly as soon as I connected the Voice to the Spire that held the way out." she said with a light shrug. People got in their own way, they cared too much about others, the nonsense of Naturals and their fragile egos. She didn't have such hinderances.
Her hands dropped as he pulled away, watching him quietly. Zariah's expression was pulled tight, emotionless, mask-like, taking in what he said without sign of her reaction to it. As he stood she did not move, simply tilting her head to continue to gaze upon him. And finally, at great length, he put all the pieces together for her. "I promised my firstborn child... Jace. Suddenly it all made sense. If only he had led with the issue, perhaps this would already be resolved. For a moment she held his gaze, before turning on her heel and walking to a window, staring out onto the frozen city below. The Zariah he remembered would have lost her temper at this point. Fire and lightning would have rained down, shouting and chaos would have ensued. Perhaps it was why he danced around the issue - but as changed as he was, so too was she. She did not storm about his citadel. She was silent, contemplative.
"You have no firstborn. Nor do you have a wife." she said quietly, at great length. Slowly she turned, her mask bearing the slightest of cracks. These words pained her to say, but she was Head of the Family, and the safety of the Family was her first priority. "The Neron who married me, who fathered Jace, remains in Northaven. He is a future you, existing on a time and plane different from this, one of many such possibilities that exist I am sure. If gods and worlds of various sorts exist, so too do different planes of time." she said with a light shrug. "And you...you are the Neron that perhaps would have pursued me, incensed by your father's poor showing towards...well...everything in existence I suppose." she said with a light laugh. Oh Cyton. What a piece of shit. "But you did not. You appeared here. You survived. You conquered." she said, a slow smile curving her lips.
"You say I should forget you are part of this family, but were it not for your upbringing, were you not Launceleyn, do not kid yourself to think you would have done so well. To the contrary, you have done everything you were ever trained to do, and have realized all we should have been destined to do over the centuries of our enslavement." she praised, pride shining in her eyes, even as it pained her to put a degree of separation between them.
With slow, deliberate steps, she approached him again, lips pursed and hazel eyes trained on his steely gaze. She stopped only when she had to tilt her head again to see him, far too close of personal space, but when had she ever respected boundaries? That at least hadn't changed. "So...why must you do this alone?" she asked softly. She lifted a hand, allowing it to slide up his chest to the side of his neck, stopping as the space between her thumb and forefinger caught his ear. Thin fingers curled and straightened through his hair, nails gently grazing his skin. "Let me stand by you as an equal, truly. This place is new, our family is free of its shackles...you have come into your own as a leader and I was bred and trained to be one. Together, we would be an unstoppable force. Surely you see this?"
"I am not certain. I've the benefit of hindsight now. But I am certain I would have found a way more quickly as soon as I connected the Voice to the Spire that held the way out." she said with a light shrug. People got in their own way, they cared too much about others, the nonsense of Naturals and their fragile egos. She didn't have such hinderances.
Her hands dropped as he pulled away, watching him quietly. Zariah's expression was pulled tight, emotionless, mask-like, taking in what he said without sign of her reaction to it. As he stood she did not move, simply tilting her head to continue to gaze upon him. And finally, at great length, he put all the pieces together for her. "I promised my firstborn child... Jace. Suddenly it all made sense. If only he had led with the issue, perhaps this would already be resolved. For a moment she held his gaze, before turning on her heel and walking to a window, staring out onto the frozen city below. The Zariah he remembered would have lost her temper at this point. Fire and lightning would have rained down, shouting and chaos would have ensued. Perhaps it was why he danced around the issue - but as changed as he was, so too was she. She did not storm about his citadel. She was silent, contemplative.
"You have no firstborn. Nor do you have a wife." she said quietly, at great length. Slowly she turned, her mask bearing the slightest of cracks. These words pained her to say, but she was Head of the Family, and the safety of the Family was her first priority. "The Neron who married me, who fathered Jace, remains in Northaven. He is a future you, existing on a time and plane different from this, one of many such possibilities that exist I am sure. If gods and worlds of various sorts exist, so too do different planes of time." she said with a light shrug. "And you...you are the Neron that perhaps would have pursued me, incensed by your father's poor showing towards...well...everything in existence I suppose." she said with a light laugh. Oh Cyton. What a piece of shit. "But you did not. You appeared here. You survived. You conquered." she said, a slow smile curving her lips.
"You say I should forget you are part of this family, but were it not for your upbringing, were you not Launceleyn, do not kid yourself to think you would have done so well. To the contrary, you have done everything you were ever trained to do, and have realized all we should have been destined to do over the centuries of our enslavement." she praised, pride shining in her eyes, even as it pained her to put a degree of separation between them.
With slow, deliberate steps, she approached him again, lips pursed and hazel eyes trained on his steely gaze. She stopped only when she had to tilt her head again to see him, far too close of personal space, but when had she ever respected boundaries? That at least hadn't changed. "So...why must you do this alone?" she asked softly. She lifted a hand, allowing it to slide up his chest to the side of his neck, stopping as the space between her thumb and forefinger caught his ear. Thin fingers curled and straightened through his hair, nails gently grazing his skin. "Let me stand by you as an equal, truly. This place is new, our family is free of its shackles...you have come into your own as a leader and I was bred and trained to be one. Together, we would be an unstoppable force. Surely you see this?"
heavy is the crown
but never for a queen
but never for a queen
