Juniper grimaces as Nate asks hard questions, though the expression isn't directed at Nate -- holds considerable sympathy for him, in fact -- but at the unpleasant truths the questions demand. First they came for the Ascended, and I said nothing ...
"I don't know," she admits. "I don't know how to change the gods ... but I would if I could."
Her shoulders hunch at Nate's raised voice, but not in fear of him; rather, it's shame that makes her want to hide. "I would say no, but ... I tried to say no already, and it didn't make a difference. I don't know -- I would like to believe that the gods are good and wouldn't turn on anyone else, but ... Well, I have to admit that the idea of war has shaken my faith. I'm not fighting for the gods -- I just want to defend my home and people."
She hesitates, then adds quietly, "And if those defenses should prove unnecessary, well, I have no interest in sending the Fae beyond our borders to attack anyone."
But she knew how futile it was to suggest that the Greatwood could just stay out of the war, when the gods had determined otherwise. The Ascended couldn't afford to hand their enemies a free staging ground near the Hollowed Grounds. And with Remi and Ronin, two of the gods' greatest weapons, in the Greatwood ...
"I don't know," she admits. "I don't know how to change the gods ... but I would if I could."
Her shoulders hunch at Nate's raised voice, but not in fear of him; rather, it's shame that makes her want to hide. "I would say no, but ... I tried to say no already, and it didn't make a difference. I don't know -- I would like to believe that the gods are good and wouldn't turn on anyone else, but ... Well, I have to admit that the idea of war has shaken my faith. I'm not fighting for the gods -- I just want to defend my home and people."
She hesitates, then adds quietly, "And if those defenses should prove unnecessary, well, I have no interest in sending the Fae beyond our borders to attack anyone."
But she knew how futile it was to suggest that the Greatwood could just stay out of the war, when the gods had determined otherwise. The Ascended couldn't afford to hand their enemies a free staging ground near the Hollowed Grounds. And with Remi and Ronin, two of the gods' greatest weapons, in the Greatwood ...
Juniper
"art nouveau winged fairy" by e³°°° is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit here
