“Neither is necessary,” she offered matter-of-factly to the hulking beast, happily oblivious to the sarcasm that dripped from his mouth though acutely aware of the anxiousness she felt at his head tilt, his scrutiny, his watchfulness. Where were her friends when she needed them most? Away somewhere, of course, dealing with their own lives and gathering back together the parts of their life that had been broken by the terrible darkness. She really wished they were here with her now, of all the times they could have been away. Of course, being all alone was very much her own fault for wandering off in the first place to carry on with her merry endeavors. The painted queen had yet to learn that she couldn't eat her cake and have it too.

Kahlua. She found that she did not like the way her name rolled off of his tongue so easily, his words formed as though he was teaching a child something so obvious that they should have known it already. And in reality he was teaching a child, but she certainly did not appreciate the implication. But his words were interesting nevertheless, an important insight to the queen, useful to her in that she needed to know what she was fighting against if she was going to win. Perhaps Mauja had not believed in her, since he had wandered away from her offer of a fair trial, but she still believed in herself. She was going to make this world peaceful and happy- a good place to live where everyone was content with their position in life- if it killed her. And certainly it would. Unobtainable goals are always the death of those who bear them.

As for the rest of it, as he carried on, telling her what leaders should be doing. What did he know of leadership, of standing on a throne? “And what are you king of, Tyradon, that you know so much about my job?” she spat back at him, offering the kind of fight a child does when they stomp their foot and pout their lower lip. It was comical anger, frustrated, bursting forth from her before she even knew what she was doing. Why? Perhaps it was because she was beginning to realize that goal she had set for herself was not a just a hurdle to clear but a mountain to climb, a ladder straight to the heavens that no mortal could surmount. But she had to keep trying, had to keep going, because she couldn't bear to live in a world where peace was not an option and she was scared for herself with every corner she turned.

“I have fought for them,” she added then, motioning to the scar along her hip, the memory no longer as painful as it had been, since she had made friends with her attacker instead of counting him as a nightmare. “And I would fight again. I don't advocate for indifference in the face of danger. I advocate for peace in place of war.” With a sigh, she let her brain run away with her, imagining Tyradon taking over all of Helovia, trying to put herself in his shoes and more or less failing, but coming up with at least thought. “And what would you do when you have enslaved all of Helovia? How would you sate your desire for war then?”

Of course the answer was obvious- dissenters will always arise, rebellions will always vie for power and attack the king, but the queen did not think of such things. She would have been better off to, though- her quest was very much the same as the black beasts, after all, to take over all of Helovia. She just led her crusade with a holier front. And when she had smothered the land in niceties, gained peace for all, would there not be dissenters like Tyradon to rise up and taken her throne back down? Hadn't he just said that? Had she forgotten it already? Perhaps it would be better if children were not queens.