Archibald stood his ground, listening to the King speak. There was a hurt behind his words that Archibald guessed was too-deep to full reveal, and the Dauntless understood that. He had his own failures, even in all his glory. Archibald did not give Kaj all of his history--of his dethroning, of his quitting title, the blood on his hooves from countless murders in Helovia, the death of his daughter, the absence of his mate, the hellfire of his sons... No, Archibald gave Kaj none of it. Because it was not what mattered in this moment. What mattered was Kaj's ability to trust Archibald, and for the snarky Czarina's words to fall to dust. "Arrogant, no. Confident, yes." Arrogance was what made Archibald's blood boil when he thought of his brother, Tajheri, his enemies, Ricochet and Jackal, and the disliked mare, Gossamer. They were all arrogant in their ways, blinded by their superiority complexes. They had all fallen, in turn. Archibald stood, however, in his stone-like confidence, able to face the world without falter. "You have experience, nonetheless. It may be small, but it has kept the herd safe thus far. In the wake of this rampant murderer, the World's Edge has stayed strong." Archibald's voice was hard, trying to pin the idea of confidence into the pale King's mind.

"I have no reason to challenge you. You have not done anything wrong, and you are not harming your herd mates. If I stood in leadership, I would wish it beside you. Neutrality is more noble that warfare." Archibald nodded, eyes straight on Kaj's. What would he think of Archibald's statement, of the desire hidden so deep within the mind of the Dauntless he did not know he even possessed it until now? "When I grounded you on that day, it was not because your justice was wrong, or because I wanted to see Aurelia succeed. It was not your fight. Kahlua, our queen, needed to, and still does, need to learn how to stand up for herself. If you to come in and save her, what would that say of her? Your strength was never denied that day. Those of us around, those of us involved, saw your passion and love for this herd and those in it--especially your queen." Do you forget the day you stood to defend your land against Confutatis? She could have challenged me on the border that day and instead she called for you. Does that not mean something to you?"

Archibald was frustrated at this point, though his tone stayed even, his voice was deep and low. He wanted to smack Kaj out of his foolishness, for no King should act in this manner. Archibald nodded, understanding his following words. "Trust is hard for Helovians to grasp because of the wars that have been held, in every herdland. I have fought invasions in this very territory twice, and fought for my own beloved Foothills several times. So many have had their homes removed from under their hooves, it is hard to trust other herds, other horses, especially those with valiant desires. Everyone sees those around them as liars, with hidden agendas, veiled with this idea of peace. We do not. The Grey did not. Ktulu, Lakota, Apollo, myself--surely you have seen us together, how we know each other, how we react to each other, interact, and nearly finish the thoughts of the next--it is because we founded our relationships on trust. The World's Edge is attempting to do that, now, in the world. We struggle because our history is marred by the shadow of Mirage. She led a war once, and took this land away from those that inhabited it."

Archibald took a step towards the golden man and touched his muzzle to his left wing joint. Lifting his head again to look, slightly down, and the beast, he solidified his statement. "Take heart, warrior. Do not slip in the whirlwind if your emotions."