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First to speak and first to go, though she felt her heart crack when she had to look up into his deep, blue eyes. Would this be the moment she was forced to decide if she wanted him for herself or if she was willing to let him go? She did not want to have to make this decision, and she swallowed hard as he spoke, listening to how thorough and clever his ideas were. Pikes were a clever weapon to use, and mixing the nature resources of the timber and glass would definitely help fortify his defenses. She turned as he did, looking in all directions and found herself grateful that he was on her side. Glass barbs on wooden branches? Ophelia could only imagine the pain. Ophelia nodded to Torleik and then moved on to Cathun. Unlike Torleik’s stout defenses, Cathun was playing mind games on his supposed enemy. She listened curiously, liking the thought of creating a bottleneck, but she worried about the wisdom in turning to flee. Old warriors like her father, Gaucho and Deimos may not be so easily swayed by such tactics. She knew from her own experiences that a lack of angry enemies at the gates made her especially nervous and even more wary. The use of citizens was also interesting – if they were up for the task. Some were and some were not. Still, the plan was a good one, and she nodded to him before moving on. Elsa. Ophelia did not trust her, not in the slightest. There were reasons not to let an enemy lead, quite contrary to what she said in her speech earlier. The plan she gave needed better structure. At the root of her ideas, she could see a good thought process, but a herd was not guaranteed flighted beings and there were many other ranks to consider. What about when the guards grew tired? The Pale princess nodded once and moved on, thinking that the pegasus would have done much better in Kahlua’s group than here. Ophelia did not dislike Elsa, but her status and bitterness were two qualities she could not ignore. She nodded and moved on. Lastly, Ophelia approached Rostislav with obvious distaste, and she frowned, waiting for him to speak. There were many issues with his plans as he spoke, and she blinked only a few times. How would they control the growth of the vine? Walls and fences had obviously not served this herd well before, and walls can always be broken. How would one even control a butterfly or a fox? Yes, using the mists to your advantage was a good idea, and using the seer was excellent, but the remainder was nonsense. The pale princess nodded once and then made a jerking motion with her head, indicating that they should all follow her back to the original meeting spot. “Torleik,” she said, addressing him first though it pained her to do so. “You have a variety of defenses that will work efficiently, but there are a few points I want to make. What you intend to do will take quite some time to set up, and I believe that is the weakness of your plan. Considering that you will have to scale this defense to an entire herd, you may want to choose which of those traps could be varied and where. Secondly, Irelyn cannot be everywhere at once, so that is good you will use your seer. And, I encourage you to think of how you would use your spies and healers. Hotaru and Lena have both proven the potency of their ranks.” Her gut was churning, making her nauseous as she began to realize that his was the most reasonable and logical plan. “Cathun,” she said, her voice frosty. You make good use of the terrain and converging your enemy on a single location is always wise. You have made use of nearly every rank available to you and have thought not only about defense but counter attack. But I believe your greatest weakness comes from a trait I saw in you earlier when you first spoke. Arrogance is a damning quality, one that is so easily swayed and proved wrong. You cannot ensure that every citizen will fight – I know many who won’t, not even to defend their own home. Furthermore, assuming that your enemy will lose a will to fight is quite plainly incorrect. Were you defending against nomads not inherent to this land, I might agree, but you are not. You were to defend this tree against myself, and the second I see an enemy running away is the moment I get wary. Do not underestimate who you are fighting – that will be your downfall. You have to be willing to think of your enemies as better or equal to yourself in all ways.” “Elsa,” she said. “I saw the beginnings of a good idea, but crafting takes time. There is no project that is swift to complete, so I urge you to carefully consider your words. Invisible spikes are a clever idea, but they are also very dangerous to your own herd – especially if children would be playing nearby. Even so, memories are troublesome and prone to forgetfulness. Also, there is no guarantee that your guards will be winged, and your best guard may be another species entirely. Since your main defense actually limits your defending force, I would consider this a poor strategy. What I hear from you is the beginning of a good idea that needs refinement. You are thinking of more than one strategy, but that is good. I do not know you well enough to say you lack experience, but I do believe you could benefit from the tutelage of an older, battle-hardened warrior.” “Rostislav,” she said curtly. “I will make this short. The time it will take to create an entire glass wall is time wasted. Not only will it keep your enemies out – somewhat, but it will also trap you inside. Also, if you somehow know a magic trick to control the animals indigenous to your land, do let me know. We have wolves in the Basin that would be of great help, though I can’t see how foxes would be useful. The God of the Earth is not your patron god either, so how do you plan on controlling a vine? Does your wall have intentional weak points, or are you planning on making a weak wall?” she asked these questions all in a row, shaking her head. “The mists will aide you, yes, and so will your seer. Throwing fire is reasonable, but the remainder just leaves me confused.” Call out her poor creativity, but she failed to see the use in his plan at all. ---------
Ophelia waited then for Kahlua and her party to return, standing by herself – a marble statue. Once they were all gathered and in a somewhat a calm state, she took a deep breath, turning to Kahlua. Her heart was heavy, a leaden weight in her chest, and she frowned deeply. “I believe Torleik would best serve this herd as the military leader,” she said, the words tumbling out of her lips like tombstone, condemning. “He has a relationship with the Moon Goddess already and his plan was both thorough and clever, and he has experience as the general of the Aurora Basin.” The pale princess turned her gaze down toward her cloven hooves, taking a moment to inhale a shaky breath. “But, I would suggest Elsa to be his general. She has all the makings of a good leader, but she lacks refinement. With the proper instruction, she could be great.” Not planning on withholding, she then took her turn speaking of the other two. “Cathun, though clever, comes off as arrogant and presumptive. Neither quality will make a good lead – not now. He needs to learn the ways of the world and get kicked down a few steps before he learns that this position is an honor and a privilege, not a right. Rostislav…” she trailed, shaking her head. “He wanted to build a wall and use foxes and lunar moths as defenses. My opinion is that he is best suited as a warrior.” Ophelia then stepped away so that Kahlua could make her announcements, and she did not dare look at anyone. The pale princess hung her head, finding the multi-colored leaves beneath her hooves fascinating. It was wrong to wish ill on him, but… she had wanted him to do poorly so that she could keep him to herself. But, she was honest. Too honest. Torleik was determined to make this work, his three little words haunting her mind, but that did not make her decision any less difficult. Instead of returning home to her towering mountains and white steppes to a cave filled with his boisterous warmth and his family's funny antics, she would go alone to sleep with stone walls and her loneliness. [[------ Please wait for Kahlua to respond first!! -----]] |
 Undertow has come to take me. Guided by the blazing sun. Look at everything around us. Look at everything we've done. Please. Anyone. I don't think I can save myself. I'm drowning. |
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