Awakening

You stare at the broken mirror Shattered reflections of the past I think we may be standing in the same Shadows that have been cast As anticipated, Edrei was quick to arrive. Prompt in fact. A slight smirk curved her lips, barely noticeable, a ghost of emotion on the blank canvas of her face. No matter how far they went, no matter how few their numbers grew, no matter how much around them changed they would always be Launceleyn. It was not something they could run from. It was not something they could hide from. It was them. Their essence, their souls, a way of existing that had been bred into them over centuries and was enforced with strict upbringing. String put it too lightly, but you would not catch any of them discussing so opening exactly the methods employed to shape them. "Edrei." she said quietly, gesturing for her to stand before her, then clasping her her hands over her crossed knee. For a moment she merely stared at her, considering her, waiting to see if she would show weakness. But it was also a test, the first she had in a long time. Zariah did not invite her to sit. She did not invite her to speak. Did she remember just how their hierarchy worked? How rigid they were to be to earn the affection and care of their familial leader? Or in these months of freedom - for even in a bubble Edrei had been gifted more freedoms here than ever in Northwind - softened her? Bobi may as well not have been there for how much attention the family head paid the bobcat. But at length, Zariah finally spoke. "It is time we took our rightful place here. We've waited and I, at least, have watched. The people here are weak. Their gods have limits. And for once, we are not bound to a spoilt brat of a king." she said, her voice low and smooth as velvet. For all her sharp edges, Zariah did know how to turn on charm when she wished it - a dark charm, but a charm nonetheless. "Tell me, Edrei, how would history have been different had Artorious Launceleyn not bound himself and his family to the rule of the first King Claudius of Northwind?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to see where her mind might go, what conclusions she would come to. ZARIAH