WE WERE STRONG.
we stayed bright as lightning. we sang loud as thunder.
we moved ever forward.</style>
The Grey. Phaedra had spoken of her outcast band. Leander had been the first to take an interest in them and mention their movements. Now, I was finally bowing my head with the need to speak with them. If I were being frank, which I always am, I did not trust the caramel colored wench with spots to stay neutral in the matter. She seemed the flamboyant and coquettish type: exactly the opposite of me. Her words were ill-thought, rebuking the statement that mercenaries fought without heart. How could one fight with heart when it had no stake in war? Only those who had something to lose would feel the pounding and ache in their chest, even if they arose victorious. It was the lifeblood which fueled battle, and I had personally seen how disinterested parties failed miserably against a smaller number who fought wither fervor. Fuck whatever that little bitch said. She was not a warrior; I could tell as much from the pristine manner of her appearance.

Phaedra had no idea who was fit to win or lose a battle.

I believed in my ability to protect my home with my warriors, who had more heart than the whores who sold their bodies for the benefit of others. As you can probably tell, I have little respect for paid soldiers. Then, why was I trekking through this forest in search of the very leaders of Phaedra? I had a better plan than asking the pair of twins to gather forces to fight with me. I would take Tio's little plan and cut it off at the knees. If had no army to hire, he would have no followers. He was far too dense to get an army to fall in behind him blindly, so if he could not pay his way to success, he would fail. I had no idea what price the Grey would ask for not aiding the foolish brute in his quest, but I would pay it if possible. If I could not, I suppose the Throat herd would make due, as we always have.

My wings are folded, with no room for flight here, but the wind still follows me obediently, dragging the dry air of the desert into the forest and covering the musky scent with something much more tolerable. My steps are quiet, though I make no attempt to keep my presence here a secret. The whistle of the wind through the limbs of the trees attested to that. The wind tugged around my head, twirling my mane and making the blonde tendrils dance elegantly, though the crown upon which they grew was anything other than elegant. Brutish, mannish, ill-mannered, and hotly-tongued, I was definitely not your typical definition of a lady. Still, I had managed fairly well in this world, at least if you ask my friends.

"I seek audience with the leaders of the Grey," I call out finally, as I come to a halt beside an impressively large tree, waiting for the familiar faces of the twins to climb out from the shadows. I hoped they would forgive my rash words and hear out what I had to say. I had an offer I hoped they would find interesting.
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