”Sit down, son,” a grey-haired man whose shoulders were still broad boomed, his deep voice commanding respect and instant silence in a way Zariah’s cooing had failed to do. ”Ye know damn well yer not the only one who wants things to improve.” He snorted, a bass rumble of noise from a man who might not have taken the title of leader, but seemed to have the respect of much of those gathered. "Th'only leader that doesn't have friends is the one that's too rotten at diplomacy to keep any, and leading without that won't get you very far. Sure, it's not easy, but that's where the work comes in, I reckon. And if ye don't want to put in the work for that, it's no wonder ye think there's goin' t'be war with everyone we meet."
”So far we’ve been hearin’ ye flop like a landed trout, lass,” he continued, arms folded over his chest and eyes narrowed as he turned his attention to Zariah. ”Alice was right. Ye invite us here to air concerns and ask for candor, but when it’s given ye flinch and snipe like my granddaughter, a lass barely into her teens. Ye speak like a child, acting like just because you say somethin’ that makes it true. But that’s the view of a spoiled youth, not a seasoned leader. Ye say ye’re not ‘forcing ways’ on anyone, and in the same breath that ye’re ‘forcing order’ which is the same thing, given that it’s your idea of order, not ours. Ye admit that ye’ve not spoken with anyone outside the Hollowed Grounds, and then ye act proud when the Fae command ye t’come running to their lap like a dog to its master, and nevermind that it’d be Maea they’d be asking were the lass well enough to be leading. But I’ll reckon they’ll learn soon enough that though ye call yerself ‘Queen’ and have a score or so – less, is it, from what I’m counting here? – a half dozen or so hangers-on? That there’s not enough folks there to keep eyes on a couple thousand people and their comings and goin’s at all times of day and night, whether we’re gatherin’ together or gatherin’ food from a place where it’s fresher. Ye only have the power we choose to give ye, lass… and most of us are choosin’ to hold it for someone who isn’t aiming to breed us like cattle if’n we don’t win the wars ye sound so eager to wage with folk ye haven’t even met yet.” The silence of the crowd shifted, mutters rising again as people nodded, and many of those who had begun to be swayed by Derek’s belligerence tallied the rationales presented and found them changing with each response the Queen made, seemingly based on who spoke up and whether they were in her favor or not. Certainly the idea of the women being used as breeding stock no different than farm animals to make more little soldiers for Zariah went over poorly in an audience that was largely women and children.
”She’s a strange one, that Maea, and her ideas might’ve come from books, but they were a far sight better than what I’ve been hearing today. A different idea of ‘order’ than what ye’ve been spouting, but of more merit than this. Ye might not have paid attention, but some of us did, and she had a sight more support than ye do amongst us. Ye might not think much of her but, lass, we don’t think much of you, either. I say, if Maea’s too ill to be governin’ at the moment, let her council step up and do the job for her, until she’s ready to return.” He finished by pointing a thick finger atRoana and Rory , polarizing figures, to say the least, but ones Maea had endorsed.
The suggestion wasn’t met with raucous cheers or loud support, but with thoughtful nods and words passed between people. ‘One of us’ and ‘known her for years’ were spoken more than once. ‘A good heart,’ and ‘blessed by Ludo’ echoed as well, though with more respect than approval. Whatever they had thought of her before, Zariah’s actions had certainly made the albino girl much more palatable by comparison.
”So far we’ve been hearin’ ye flop like a landed trout, lass,” he continued, arms folded over his chest and eyes narrowed as he turned his attention to Zariah. ”Alice was right. Ye invite us here to air concerns and ask for candor, but when it’s given ye flinch and snipe like my granddaughter, a lass barely into her teens. Ye speak like a child, acting like just because you say somethin’ that makes it true. But that’s the view of a spoiled youth, not a seasoned leader. Ye say ye’re not ‘forcing ways’ on anyone, and in the same breath that ye’re ‘forcing order’ which is the same thing, given that it’s your idea of order, not ours. Ye admit that ye’ve not spoken with anyone outside the Hollowed Grounds, and then ye act proud when the Fae command ye t’come running to their lap like a dog to its master, and nevermind that it’d be Maea they’d be asking were the lass well enough to be leading. But I’ll reckon they’ll learn soon enough that though ye call yerself ‘Queen’ and have a score or so – less, is it, from what I’m counting here? – a half dozen or so hangers-on? That there’s not enough folks there to keep eyes on a couple thousand people and their comings and goin’s at all times of day and night, whether we’re gatherin’ together or gatherin’ food from a place where it’s fresher. Ye only have the power we choose to give ye, lass… and most of us are choosin’ to hold it for someone who isn’t aiming to breed us like cattle if’n we don’t win the wars ye sound so eager to wage with folk ye haven’t even met yet.” The silence of the crowd shifted, mutters rising again as people nodded, and many of those who had begun to be swayed by Derek’s belligerence tallied the rationales presented and found them changing with each response the Queen made, seemingly based on who spoke up and whether they were in her favor or not. Certainly the idea of the women being used as breeding stock no different than farm animals to make more little soldiers for Zariah went over poorly in an audience that was largely women and children.
”She’s a strange one, that Maea, and her ideas might’ve come from books, but they were a far sight better than what I’ve been hearing today. A different idea of ‘order’ than what ye’ve been spouting, but of more merit than this. Ye might not have paid attention, but some of us did, and she had a sight more support than ye do amongst us. Ye might not think much of her but, lass, we don’t think much of you, either. I say, if Maea’s too ill to be governin’ at the moment, let her council step up and do the job for her, until she’s ready to return.” He finished by pointing a thick finger at
The suggestion wasn’t met with raucous cheers or loud support, but with thoughtful nods and words passed between people. ‘One of us’ and ‘known her for years’ were spoken more than once. ‘A good heart,’ and ‘blessed by Ludo’ echoed as well, though with more respect than approval. Whatever they had thought of her before, Zariah’s actions had certainly made the albino girl much more palatable by comparison.
